Fate's End
by ADdude
Summary: The consciousness behind Grail tired of failures and wanting to be born into the world twists the rules and brings in more master and servants into the fight. While some want to win the grail for the wish that is promised, others simply want to stop a disaster and other move in the shadows for their own goals. Shirou is caught in the middle of it as he tries to stop a the war.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue to War

**Fate's End**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate Universe or anything in it.**

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><p>Chapter 1: Prologue to War<p>

They say time heals all wounds and maybe that is true but sometimes lives aren't long enough.

It had nearly been ten years since that horrid event. A great fire burned the land so fully that no one expected anything to grow there again but it had. Still that wasn't the pain that an old man thought about. Raiga Fujimura was the old man in question. Raiga Fujimura was many things, a grandfather, sumo wrestling fanatic and the boss of a yakuza group that operated in Fuyuki City. He was also an employer of Kiritsugu Emiya and over time had become his friend. As a favor to Kiritsugu he watched over Shirou, Kiritsugu's son, and his estate until Shirou became of age. Shirou was a good boy, helpful almost to a fault and the work he did maintain Raiga's motorcycles was more than enough reason on its own to watch over the boy. Besides the boy was close to his granddaughter and he was practically family.

That's why the old man thought about the pain. It was not just that the boy had lost his father a few short years ago but he lost the man that saved him. Nearly ten years ago the fire that killed so many spared one person and it was Shirou. Raiga knew he had done some terrible things in his own life but even he paled at the thought of what that boy survived through. Raiga had gotten Kiritsugu drunk once, he told Raiga of how he saw people burn people alive, how people gave up hope and just die, how people gave their lives to save others only for them to die seconds later and just horrors that could only be described as hell on Earth. And Shirou saw it all. Kiritsugu pulled that boy from the hell and in doing so not only saved the boy but himself. Whatever life the boy had before the fire was gone.

And as the ten year anniversary came upon Raiga wondered what it would do to the boy without his father there. Raiga's granddaughter had similar worries and came up with a plan. Nothing complex just to give Shirou something of a keep sake so that he would remember his father.

Raiga agreed and looked for something. Kiritsugu had left Raiga several things, things he didn't want Shirou to find, mostly weapons and artifacts of his former life as a magus. Raiga stepped into a bomber shelter in his home built during War World Two, that was were he kept weapons that he felt he might one day need and a few trunks filled with things that had once belonged to Kiritsugu. It was filled with weapons, and journals. Raiga picked one up to find it was filled with symbols he didn't understand and his better judgement told him he shouldn't even try. He had hopped to find a picture or something more appropriate to give Shirou.

Raiga had lived a long life and that wasn't just luck. He had developed a certain sense, an instinct, and at the moment something set it off. It was like a cold shiver spreading across his whole being. He had that feeling once before, right before five hundred lives were snuffed out.

The ground trembled then and there the whole city of Fuyuki felt it but few if any understood what it meant. It was like a monster of terrible size had taken its first steps into the city. The tremor soon sent panic across the world.

0000

In Germany, in a castle nestled between snow covered mountains a small figure stood. She looked like a small girl with red eyes and silver hair splattered with blood. Illyasiviel Von Einzenbern stood before a towering statue of a man. The broken bodies of the wolves that he had killed were tossed around them in bloody piles.

The young girl now only had to wait two months. Something felt wrong, supporting a servant should take a greater toll on her but she didn't feel it.

She didn't realize it at the moment but calling down the servant early allowed the Grail to awaken early and plans had started to play out. And a moment later Fuyuki would shake.

0000

It didn't take a week for the Mage Association, the Clock Tower and the Church to go in a near panic. The ley lines in Fuyuki acted strangely during the Earthquake and normally they wouldn't pay so much attention to that happening in a backwater country but something else was happening and it seemed to cross with the holy grail war. Normally they would be able to tell things about the masters, but not this time in fact they were getting numbers that didn't make sense. Considering what happened at the end of the last war they wondered if something else would happen, about the cost of life, and if they could keep it secret once more.

At that moment Lord El-Melloi II was on a private plane to Japan. This magus was once known as Waver Velvet and frankly he preferred that to El-Melloi II if just for the II part. He left leaving behind most of his possessions and the fact that he didn't want to run into Reines El-Melloi Archisorte who insisted that he would have to serve her for the rest of his life. He tugged on his red coat as the plane continue onwards. He rubbed his hand where a new set of command seals had appeared. He didn't expect to be called by the Grail and he wouldn't have chosen it but he was. He wondered if the conflagration at the end of the war could have been prevented, if all those deaths could have been prevented, if he and Rider had been there. Now that the war re-started in only ten years and he was called he was not going to take that chance. He would make it to the end and make sure that didn't happen even if it cost him his life, though he certainly try to avoid that option.

Sitting across the isle was his Maid Golem made from Volumen Hydrargryrum he had inherited. He had modified it and given it an artificial intelligence but he continued to improve on it. Now most described it as a maid mixed with a liquid metal terminator, which annoyed him as it developed a bug after it was shown a movie during it's early stages. It normally did chores for him but he was trying to improve on it for he would need all the help he could get once he arrived in Fuyuki. A few weeks had passed after hearing about what happened in Fuyuki with its ley lines when the seals showed up. He knew that the Clock Tower or the Mage association would likely try to make him fight for them but he wouldn't allow it. He had his own mission, this wasn't about honor or glory; this time he would make sure that a disaster would not occur. He took a breath and repeated his reason to himself never letting himself forget. He could feel his heart dancing.

0000

In Fuyuki at the Matou Manor Zouken Matou pondered the holy grail war. The war starting up so soon was a small surprise but the reaction that the grail had nearly two months ago was something else. The man best described as a walking corpse had some theories why it was acting strangely but had no solid proof. Still he wondered when a strange sensation crept over his flesh. He looked down to his hand were a set of command seals took hold. The old man let a creepy smile spread across his face. He didn't expect that for many reasons but he wasn't disappointed.

That was when the screaming started, he really didn't care if someone was hurt but it ruined his moment so he walked of his room to the source of the screaming. He quickly found his grandson Shinji screaming on the floor in pain. Zouken was about to kick him when he noticed a faint glow on Shinji's hand. That was the surprise for the day. Shinji had no mage ability and Zouken was fairly certain that he didn't have a single magical circuit. Zouken quickly performed a test and found a few weak circuits forming in his grandson. He didn't expect the grail to choose Shinji, for many reasons, he expected Sakura to be chosen. He didn't understand why the grail would choose Shinji much less choose him after having chosen himself too and it seemed the grail forced open some of Shinji's latent and undeveloped circuits to make it possible. Each of the three houses was guaranteed one set of command seals and only one. There were a lot of things that didn't make sense.

Zouken let out a long sigh, this could work to his advantage. "Shinji, I have some good news for you." Zouken smiled a smiled that made the teenager quiver.

0000

Time slowly crept by and masters seemed to be picked for reasons no one was sure about. There was no telling who had become a master and normal protocols were being ignored. They didn't know how many but a few master had already summoned servants, many started to panic fearing they wouldn't summoned their servants to the class they wanted. With the war about to start many people began their work.

In her workshop in her London home a young blonde girl stood in front of a magic circle. She wore a long blue dress and her hair was done up in long coils. Luviagelita Edelfelt the young head of her magus family finished the chant. She was certain she would managed to summon a strong servant, she was using a shard of the round table as a catalyst. She hoped to summon her servant in the saber class. She knew that the shard was connected to many knights connected to round table so it would be a matter of luck but they were all known for being masters at the sword. Luvia was sure if she got any brave knight she would be able to win.

As the summing was complete the light vanished a figure stood in the middle of the circle. A knight dressed in silver and red armor. The helmet had two long horns that reminded the magus of a demon in story books she had read as child. The servant certainly had a powerful aura.

The servant raised their sword and brought down destroying the shard, they apparently recognized it or at least sensed what it was. Luvia flinched as the servant utterly destroyed the shard and gulped.

After a moment the servant paused and turned to the magus, studying her for a moment. "Are you my Master?"

Luvia held her chest out trying to hold herself together. "I am Luviagelita Edelfelt the Head of the Edelfelt Family. I summoned you to be my Servant during the Fifth Holy Grail War."

"I am your Servant Saber. "

Luvia couldn't help but smile at that, it worked she summoned the strongest class. She took a breath and tried to stay calm and proper. She held out her hand offering it to her servant. "I think its time you tell me your name." Luvia wondered which of the famed knights she had summoned, part of her wished for King Arthur but she tried not to get her hopes up.

The knight paused moment before they removed their helmet. "I am Mordred ."

Luvia paled, shed summoned the Knight of Treachery as her servant, that didn't seat well when she had to trust him.

With Mordred's horned helmet removed it revealed a pale face with blonde hair and brilliant green eyes.

Luvia let out, "You're a girl!"

Mordered sighed, "Yes, I am physically a woman but I have always thought of myself as a man."

"Sorry." Luvia said quickly not sure how to handle the situation.

0000

In her own home Rin Tohsaka found herself blasted across the room when her summoning was complete.

"What went wrong? Was it the catalyst? It should have worked without one." She didn't see her servant and panicked when she heard something in another room.

Sh raced across her home to a room that was wrecked and now had a huge gapping hole in the ceiling.

"Really now…" As the dust settled a servant said sitting in a chair, "Are you to be my master?"

Rin did not enjoy her servants smirk. Her fist clenched a ruby red gem in her hand.

0000

Waver made his summoning circle in the same place he had almost ten years ago and he was using the same catalyst as last time. As he said the chant he knew that summoning Rider would be different, this Rider would not know of the events that had happened between them but in all truth he wouldn't be able fight with any other servant. He wouldn't keep it secret he'd tell him everything, he'd use a spell to show him the events from his own point of view. With a surge of prana he felt the ritual finish.

In front of the magus in a puff of smoke that was clearing stood a tall man with wild hair and wilder presences.

Waver knew that it would be awkward but it was best to push through it and do what had to be done.

"You did it." Rider said. "You got yourself 30 more centimeter and some muscles. It looks good on you."

The magus blinked in surprise, "What?"

He knew those words, Rider had said them to him during the last war a number of time suggesting that those would be what he would wish for. But that was impossible how could this Rider-"

"Come here boy!" Rider quickly grabbed him in a hug. "It feels like ages since I last saw you. Look how much you've grown. I thought it was over when I was facing off against Archer but you've seemed to pull me back. How did you manage to do that?"

"I don't know." Waver huffed as he tried to breath in the bear hug. He didn't know what was happening but he felt this Grail War would have even more mysteries.

0000

A small girl crept into a dark church. She had been nervous, she was barely ten years old and orphaned shortly after her birth by the fire and found herself sneaking into the church. She lived in an orphanage and had few friends and a few weeks ago they left. The people in the orphanage told her that the church took them in but later she couldn't contact them not even send them a letter. That night she made her way to the church, the orphanage had always been crowded so they wouldn't miss her. Now as she walked into the dark and cold church she found no signs of life. Something felt wrong.

As she explored the church she swore she could something and hopping to find someone who could put her into contact with her friends, she followed the sound. She walked into the church deeper into it. Finally in the dark she heard something pained and weak and empty.

The rooms were lit with dim candles so it took her a few moments for her eyes to adjust and at first she didn't understand, she didn't dare understand but she finally did.

She saw skeletons or what if they had mercy would be skeletons. They were the dried and still living remains of her friends and other children like them. Alive and screaming in pain as best as they could, few could recognized them but she could and as she did tears streamed from her eyes.

In terror and shock she stumbled backwards and fell over. Her hands touched something sticky and as she raised her palms she found them covered in blood. Around her was some sort of circle drawn up in blood.

She crawled away from the circle and stumbled to a table nearby with relics and items, her stumbling caused an empty wine bottle stained with something to roll off and crash by the circle.

"It seems we have an intruder."

She froze hearing the voice, it was like no voice she had ever heard before it was a voice of absolute confidence.

"I fear you have seen too much." A dark and oddly steady voice spoke, it sound as it trying to hide its joy at the event.

The first man started to glow, or the air behind him did, as if by a silent command a sword floated out of the glowing air and directed itself right at her.

In sheer fear she tried to back away and crwaled back onto the circle she thought she was about to die. The wafting power of these two figures in the dark cowered the small girl and the sword shot towards her. She prayed, she wished, she hoped to be saved.

You might call it a miracle or you might call it luck but at that instant the circle glowed a faint purple light. A figure formed around the girl with lance which it used to deflected the sword at the last instant. Both men seemed surprised by the turn of events.

The new figure wrapped a strong arm around the girl and held out its lance.

"You dare harm a child." Out of the corner of its eye it caught the sight around him and a faint growl escaped his mouth. "Children! You fowl beasts! Even the lowest demons would have more dignity prolong these children's misery. A fake priest tainting a church!" The new player noted a few holy symbols around him gathering they were in a church and the mad was a priest from his clothes.

The man that glowed with light turned his gaze to this figure, "Know your place, mongrel. Who are you to dare question what-"

The figure pressed the lance towards this man's chest, maybe it was simply because it was such a weak weapon that the man didn't keep his guard up or maybe he was just caught by surprise but the lance hit him on hist chest.

He was surprise it affected him at all and a small portion of his power drained from his body. He just knew if he were a normal servant his body would begin to return to spiritual form but he wasn't so he didn't. Something more surprising happened though, he fell to his knees. His mind went blank and the next second he was filled with a terrible rage. "How dare you make me-"

He didn't even get to finish the sentence because the instant the lance had its affect the other servant began to move.

A hippogriff formed behind him and the servant grabbed the girl and climbed on board and tore out of the church as quickly as possible.

The man dressed in gold armor rose with fury in his eyes. "The next instance we meet I will not hesitate to kill you both."

Kotohime looked around, the attack drain much of Gilgamesh's power and sudden drain had an effect. The servant drawing power from the children drain an excess from them and that included all they had and now they were finally dead.

"You should have cleaned the ritual, master. A girl with the magical circuits on a ritual site freshly used and a strong catalyst in a state of panic must have called down a servant without the usual chant." A feminine voice spoke. "If you hadn't collect many catalyst and left them here the girl would not have gotten lucky."

Kotohime looked at her, she was a slender woman in a dark dress with green eyes, pale features and smooth black hair. "Caster, clean this. We have no need for them anyway."

The woman made a few gestures and the bodies began to burn as did the ritual sight.

Kotohime wrapped his left hand with bandages to hide the command seals the grail had given him. He used them to summon Caster. He had agreed to help Gilgamesh gather more energy and now it looked like they would need to find another source. The truth was that Gilgamesh had a physical incarnation and could easily sustain himself. In the end the grail had called on the priest once more and that would certainly prove to be entertaining enough to make up for the little effort he'd have to make to sustain himself.

0000

High above the city the girl held onto the figure who saved her. She thought he was a boy though a little feminine with an odd armor and pink hair.

"Are you all right?" The knight asked her.

"Y-yes." She was still scared. "Are they going to follow us?"

"At the moment no, we are far from their reach." He waved a hand and showed off the bright city below them.

The girl clung to him. "How are we flying? It's not possible."

"Fear not, I swear upon my honor and my sword that I will protect you, my princess."

Her cheeks flushed hearing that. The knight knew that would calm her nerves and would properly suit her better than calling her master. "Now tell me what is your name."

"Miyu."

"A very lovely name."

As they flew into the night sky the girl tried to push the horror out of her mind. "Are you a boy or a girl?"

The knight put a finger on his lip and said, "It's a secret, you can call me Rider."

The girl held close to the Paladin as she realized a shape formed on her hand.

0000

In the Matou manor, deep and in a dungeon like cavern. Zouken had already summoned his Assassin, The Hundred-Faced Hassan. Already had 79 of it's separate existences scouring the city for information on the other master. The 80th staying close by to relay the information and incase of attack. It seems strange to call him hundred faced when there are only 80 of them but whatever.

They stood around the ritual circle. Shinji looked ready to pass out, his blue hair had gotten paler. Unlike his uncle Shinji could only maintain few crest worms in his body the rest refused him. Zouken didn't expect much from Shinji but he figured whatever servant he summoned might be of some use.

Shinji finished the ritual and light filled the room.

A figure stood in the circle.

"I did it." Tired Shinji muttered coughing blood as he did. "Name yourself."

Zouken didn't bother with a catalyst or trying for any class with Shinji, he would take what he could get if they tried too hard he was certain that a too powerful servant would drain Shinji of all his life in an instant.

The servant took a breath, "I am Avenger."

In front of them stood a young man with dark skin and glyph tattoos all over his body wearing red tattered clothes wrapped his body. Shinji couldn't help but think he looked somewhat familiar.

"Avenger." Zouken muttered, internally he scolded Shinji for summoning what seemed to be the same servant that died first two wars ago. "Fine, both of you come with me, we have plans to make." Zouken led them away. "Sakura clean up here."

Sakura was brought there to watch the ritual, Zouken knew better than to lay all his eggs in one basket and figured she or her children might have to try in the next war and it would be good for her to see the ritual.

As they left Sakura was drawn to a mirror sticking out a chest. The chest was filled with items the family had collected thinking they might need for catalyst.

She felt a surge of power and a cutting sensation on her hand as command seals began to form. The circle near her started to glow as if something was connecting them then and there, it seemed like she had accidentally piggy back on Shinji's ritual. Soon a beautiful woman with long purple hair appeared before her.

"My master." She called to Sakura.

Sakura panicked, she was happy not to be chosen by the grail she didn't want to fight, and there was a specific someone she didn't want to fight.

0000

Near that very home several crest worms gathered. Zouken didn't send them and he couldn't contact them. As far as he knew these familiar had died some time buzzed with one another and soon they grouped together forming with their bodies a circle. A cloaked figure stood before the buzzing grew louder as if chanting and with a surge of power and black mist a dark figure formed.

A knight with black armor stood amongst the worms. The knight looked around before he nodded, "I understand Master."

0000

In a maximum security prison north of the city events transpired, events which no one would ever think being connected to the events in Fuyuki. The prison walls were covered in blood and bodies littered the floors.

Two hours ago some prisoners woke up hearing some sort of conflict with the guards for it to die down soon enough. The lights all turned on waking the prisoners from their sleep. Their cells opened and they all found weapons in front of them. None of the prisoners understood what happened and that was when they noticed two girls at the end of the hall.

Nothing could prepare any of the prisoners for the blood bath that followed. Now only one of the prisoners remained. His name was Koizumi and he served with a group of Yakuza that worked out of Tokyo. The police caught him and he refused to turn over any evidence about the others involved in his crimes, he was certain that when he did get out his boss would reward his loyalty. At the moment he could think of none of that but try and escape. Amongst the weapons were batons, clubs, knives, a few swords. Koizumi had taken up one of the sword, as youth he had practiced kendo and over time he took up a real sword and so this was the weapon he was most used to. Right now he was fighting monsters and he didn't know how to fight. He took a glimpse from the corner of a hall. A small young girl with short snow white hair wearing revealing black clothes that seemed to consist of long black boots, a black vest and black underwear. At the moment she sat besides one of the fallen inmates she had ripped his chest open and started to suck out his blood. She had an innocents to her as if murder was the same as picking flowers.

Koizumi paled as he noted the number of dried out bodies around the prison. He suddenly felt that he had stumbled into a vampire movie. He resolved to escape before he was spotted.

"There you are! I knew there was one left."

Koizumi's blood ran cold as he heard that voice, he'd heard that voice laughing all night as he heard the screams of others. He raised his sword blocking a sharp military like knife at the last moment.

Holding the knife was a girl about sixteen wearing jeans and a black hoodie sweater that had blood splattered all over it. "Oh, look a fighter. I love a fighter. Fighters as fun." She said gleeful of the events.

He reacted trying to slash her but she held the sword back with the knife and one hand. She had to be a monster, nothing human could take that much joy in death, she fought like a wild animal that knew nothing more that to kill and maim.

He finally managed to push her back and to counter the force she flipped back and landed on her feet. Koizumi rushed her trying to cut through and escape. The girl slipped to the side slashing at his neck as she moved. Koizumi quickly placed his hand on his neck noting the cut wasn't all that deep, she was playing with him.

She let her head hand to the left as she stared at him like a predator assured of its prey's demise.

The other girl walked over to them brandishing a butcher's knife. "Mosther?"

"Don't worry big sis will be done in a moment." She winked at the older girl in a playful manner. She glimpsed at a watch on her wrist. "Oh, right we're trying to catch the morning train. Let's just end this sword boy. One last move."

Koizumi didn't know how to react but to attack while he could. He yelled as he raced towards her ready to strike her down.

She didn't flinch or move in anyway his eyes could see until he notice she flicked her wrist. Her knife flew out of her hand and sunk itself into his skull and he dropped to the cold floor a second later. The last thing he noticed has a bruise like shape on her hand, one that looked like a knife.

The girl said to her servant, "Okay, finish eating him up. They'll make you big and strong. I'm going to take a quick shower in the prisons shower thing and maybe do a load of laundry. Get some snacks and then head out towards Fuyuki."

"Okay." She smiled.

"That's a good girl." She patted her on the head right before the girl started to eat the heart of their latest victim. "That's good, Assassin."

0000

Bazett Fraga McRemitz stood in an old abandoned manor like building in the Fuyuki. Bazett was a 23 year old woman wearing a dark two piece suit with a violet neck tie. Her hair was short and magenta and had a small mole just below her left eye. Two small ovaloid earrings hang from her ears. One of her gloved hands reaches before to air above a glowing summoning circle. She feel power flow through her veins as she calls out to grail and the spirit she wishes to summon. It feels like a lifetime of work coming to fruition.

"…Come forth protector of Balance!" Bazett yelled as the room trembled at her words.

With a flash of red light a man in a blue skin suit stood before her holding a red spear.

Bazett opened her mouth to speak but after such a long time of planning this she didn't have a clue what to say.

"I take it you're my master." Lancer stated with a smirk as he looked her up and down.

"Ah, yes, I am Bazett Fraga McRemitz and I will be your master."

He gave her a bow, "I am Lancer happy to serve such a lovely master."

Twenty-seconds in and he has already flirted.

Bazett fought off the urge to blush as she tried to stay serious. "I take it you know about the war."

"Yeah, I got the details. Seven Heroic spirits fight to the last man. The last master and servant team get to ask a wish from the holy grail."

"Yeah, there has been a change in plans. Before I left the mage association told me they had detected at least nine masters but only managed to identify about four of them."

"So nine instead of seven, it doesn't seem to make much a difference."

"They think there will be more than that. The mage association wants this over as quickly as possible-"

He placed his fingers on her lips silently telling her to be quiet. Lancer readied his spear as he sensed something, "We're not alone."

He was right and was proven so as bullets ripped through the walls. Lancer quickly reacted by pushing his master to the floor just avoiding them.

Bazett prepared to set up a protective barrier when the bullets stopped. The wall could not really be called a wall anymore, it would now just be called a giant hole in a building.

Lancer whispered to her, "I'll cover while you get away."

Lancer was serious the only reason he knew they were't alone was because he sensed the presence of a servant and some sort of attack. He hadn't expected the bullets and they didn't seem like the work of magus but he was going to protect his master and kill whoever dared attack them.

He jumped up and held out his spear reading it for an attack. "Crap!"

He noticed a figure holding something and the new information told him what the weapon the figure held.

Bazett was trying to crawl away if only to go around and get behind their attacker.

Their attacker fired a rocket launcher and as the projectile sped towards them Lancer with only seconds to act jumped onto Bazett.

"What are you doing?" Bazett yelled as her servant covered her body with his own pushing her to the floor.

The rocket flew over heard striking the wall behind them, it was already in bad shape from the bullet assault and the rocket wasn't going to help. The rocket caused the wall to tumble down and the house soon followed. Bazett understood Lancer's action at that instant, he was trying to used his body to shield her from the attack as he knew she wouldn't be able to escape in time. Soon enough darkness over took her vision as the ceiling collapsed onto them.

0000

Outside their attacker watched the old house collapse upon itself. Without showing a hint of emotion the figure turned around and started to walk away as his long black coat waved in the night air.

0000

Morning came and Shirou woke up in the shed at his home. It had been about five years since the death of his father and it was nearly the anniversary of the fire. It certainly was a time that brought memories he'd wish to forget. He woke up that morning thanks to the prodding of Sakura.

"Sempai, wake up." The girl kindly smiled at him. "I have breakfast ready."

"You didn't have to do that." Shirou told her.

"I don't mind, you should sleep in more often." She smiled warmly, "You better hurry inside, Taiga has already started and she looks hungry."

Shirou didn't like the sound of that, Taiga normally ate more than he thought a person could if she was hungry there might not be any food left.

He cleaned up, he had fallen asleep in the shed the previous night tinkering with various items and he half expected Taiga to scold him for falling asleep there.

His fears were proven to be well founded. As they arrived to eat Taiga herself had eaten half already.

Sakura started to question she had made enough.

"Shirou, did you fall asleep in the shed again?" Taiga said between mouthfuls.

Shirou sat down sure if he didn't start eating there would be nothing left. "I'm sorry, Fuji-nee."

"I have told you that place feels weird and you shouldn't fall asleep there you'll catch a cold."

Sakura and Shirou started to eat.

Taiga Fujimura had been around Shirou as long as he could remember. After his father's death she watched over Shirou, she promised to Kiritsugu to watch him until he became an upstanding adult. Shirou found that a little funny as Taiga seemed like a big kid herself.

"I'm not going to school today." Taiga told him not slowing down on eating.

"What?" Shirou questioned.

"I'm taking some time off."

"Why?" Sakura asked.

"I am busy with things." Taiga said vaguely. "A family friend is coming to town and my grandpa has been…"

Shirou knew what she meant, nearly two months ago Raiga had some sort of episode and collapsed around the same time as the earthquake. He recovered quickly but had been acting strange and secretive. He was randomly given away trips to people who worked for him and insisted his family go on a long vacation. Taiga was pretty much the only left because she was a teacher and insisted on staying to keep an eye on him. Even the head of the family had to buckle to the insistence of the tiger. Raiga was always filled with vigor but lately he seemed tired. Shirou could understand Taiga taking time to keep an eye on him.

"Oh, a friend is going to cover my classes. I met her in college, she was an exchange student but liked Japan enough to move here. She going to start working at the school full time next semester but she just a substitute for this one. So you be kind to her."

Shirou nodded, "Of course."

"One more thing," Taiga said his voice getting serious. "Be careful and get home quickly. A lot of weird stuff has been happening, all those murders all over Japan, last night someone said a whole prison filled of criminals were killed, now they're saying a killer is lose here and there are stories about gas leaks…." Taiga was worried more than she could express. " Just both of you be careful."

Trying to change the subject as she noticed her shina that had been called 'Tora-Shinai' along with another kendo wooden sword in some sort of sheath.

"Yeah, I need them for something. The family friend wanted to see them."

"Your hand." Shirou pointed to the wrapped hand.

"Yeah, I had and accident, a training accident nothing serious don't worry about me while I'm worried about you." The English teacher continued. She finished eating and got up. "Okay, promise me you'll be careful."

"We will." Shirou told her.

With a smile she picked up her things and left.

Sakura and Shirou talked for while as they ate.

"So, I haven't seen Shinji in a while." Shirou brought up.

"He's been sick. He caught a bad case of the chicken pox, its rare to get it when you're a teenager and it tend to strike someone harder. I never had it so I'm trying to stay away."

Shirou nodded, he had noticed Sakura spending more time around him or the archery club. She even stayed in one of his spare room a few nights when she stayed too late. Shirou thought that was why she was wearing her archery gloves, trying to focus on something besides her sick sibling she couldn't help.

They spoke to one another until someone arrived at the door. Shirou answered the door to find his friend Issei there with a strange look on his face.

"Shirou… something happened."

The words that followed struck Shirou like a punch to the heart. Shirou insisted on going to see for himself. Sakura volunteered to clean up for him. Shirou thanked her and quickly left with his friend.

Sakura watched them leave, Issei's father drove them to Ryuudou Temple.

As they left Sakura clutched her gloved hand. "Rider…"

Behind her materialized the servant dressed in a black polo neck top and blue jeans. "Master, something is wrong. I was certain I sensed a servant nearby."

"Was it grandfather's assassin?"

"No, if it was I would not have sensed it at all and I doubt any of them would come out at night. No, I think its another servant scouting but be careful."

Sakura nodded, she wanted no part in the war, she didn't even understand why the grail had chosen her. What she wanted now was to keep it hidden from her family, she was certain they'd find a way to drag her into the war. With a bit of luck and skill she managed to keep them from finding out and she mostly thought that was because they had all ruled her out as anything important.

At the moment she knew danger was all about around, the city had masters all around and many let their servants kill for prana. At the moment she just wanted to keep Shirou safe.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Notes: Hello, this is my first try with the fate series and with the new series coming out I decided to give it a try. Yes, I know I'm taking a few liberties in this story mechanics wise but its for the story and I think it pays off in the end. As you might have guessed from the many Rider's in this story that there will be three sets of everything plus three other servants, Avenger is one, Gilgamesh is the other and final one will be Ruler. I'm slowly revealing some so by then some will fall so it doesn't get too many at once and all confusing. There will be a few oc master and servants but most are canon and I will try to keep them in character for the most part. Miyu is going to be a bit different then you know because in this world is more shy than cold logic because her different life here. Anyway thats all I wanted to say in this chapter i have some surprises coming please leave me a review and let me know what you think.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Prologue to War 2

**Fate's End**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate Universe or anything in it.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 2: Prologue to War 2: Servant Boogalo<p>

It took them a few moment to reach the temple. Behind the temple lay a graveyard and one of those graves belonged to Shirou's father. Kiritsugu's grave was down a path that Shirou hadn't gone down, he rarely ever went there.

Police surrounded the grave and Shirou made an attempt to reach it only to stopped by Issei.

"No, there is nothing there that you want to see." Issei told him and then he told him what happened.

Someone late last night had dug up the grave and removed his ribs, they even did a decent job of covering it up but a monk early noticed freshly dug up earth on his morning walk.

Shirou was without a doubt furious and devastated at the news that someone desecrated his father's grave. Issei had hopped the news would be better coming from him and maybe it was but this was still something that could disturb the soul.

Shirou spotted at a distance a girl in a purple coat watching them with a conflicted look upon her face. Shirou blinked and she was gone. He shook his head trying to make sense of this situation.

No one would have said anything if Shirou decided to skip school but he insisted on going. He wanted to do something to try to take his mind of what happened in the cemetery. He really couldn't take in the school day, he heard whisper and talk but nothing sunk in. He was certain people heard about what happened and were trying to be nicer to him but at the moment nothing touched him and the day went by.

0000

On a tall building stood a girl in shining armor her long blond hair done in a braid. She surveyed the city belong, she had been summoned by the grail in the Ruler class. Her duty was to set things back on track but she could tell something had corrupted the grail. In an attempt to correct itself the grail not only summoned her but also set out another set of command seals for seven more servants. The corruption was further than they knew it jumped on that action and managed to gather even more using connections to former participates it managed to get more seals sent out. Now the grail was drawing more and more power and draining the land to manage.

She scanned the area around her to detect those in grail war, "An archer from the last war remains. Three rider class servants have been summoned along with two archers, Two sabers, two assassins,three casters, three beserkers-" She paused. "An irregular servant has been summoned, an Avenger."

Ruler was unsure of what was happening. Three sets of servants were summoned with extras, the grail shouldn't do that. She knew that this would be a difficult war, and she would do her duty of making sure it came to its proper end.

It troubled her that so many had already been summoned and there were more to come and she knew some outside of her scope were making their way to the war.

0000

The plane arrived at the airport and Luvia stepped out, she had no pleasure in arriving in Japan but she would try to stand up to what was happening with every dignity of her class.

"Ugh, " Mordered walked behind her.

Saber asked to remain in physical form whenever possible because she found it uncomfortable in her astral form. Luvia saw no problem in letting her stay around so long as she dressed in modern attire instead of her armor.

Mordred picked out a white tube top, a crimson leather jacket and jean shorts.

"Man was never meant to fly." Mordred huffed.

"Take it as an honor. You are probably the only servant who has ever flown on a plane."

"Lucky me." Mordred said sarcastically.

0000

Elsewhere in the city Rider and Waver sat by in a table. They found themselves in the home of the old couple where they stayed in the past war. Rider was saddened to hear that the couple had passed on months from one another. Waver told him how his last trip to Japan was to their funeral and they left him a key to their home should ever he want to visit. The house was officially left to their grandchildren but they never visited.

They drank some coffee as they spoke, "You intend on ending the war." Rider asked.

"Yes, after everything that happened I think its something I need to do."

"Well, you have my help." The servant paused for a moment. "I don't recall anything after my death at Archer's hands… except darkness for one instant that stretched out forever. Inside the darkness there was something… something that I can only rightfully call evil. I am not sure how I know this but there was something in there that wanted to escape, that wanted to be born. Something I'm sure if it was would only harold destruction and death."

Waver was quiet taking the cups that his liquid metal maid brought them.

"This is important." Rider said his tone even. "I know I said for you to find some romance but I didn't mean for you to make a girl for that." He pointed at the maid.

"I!" Waver stuttered, how could this man make him act like that boy after so long and after everything he'd done. "That's not why I made her!"

0000

Bazett was less dressed than she would like to be.

After their base had been collapsed Lancer used his body to shield her and she used her power to create a protective barrier though it didn't stop anything before things started falling on them. She planned on returning to the manor and using her magi to repair the damage. After that she'd raise a proper barrier, at least no one would attack the same place twice.

In the meantime she found herself in a small rental home that had been rented by a Magus from the Association from an enemy opposition. She had taken care of him and knew the home would be empty.

Now as for the whole being less than clothed. She had a towel to her chest while her servant was at her back.

"I'm almost done." Lancer told her.

They had injuries but lucky for them nothing that would end their lives. A good healing spell and they healed most of it and since Lancer was a servant he recovered a lot quicker. The problem now was that there were plenty of splinters buried in her back.

Lancer yanked out a rather big one making her flinch. He continued to pull them out.

"So what do you think about the guy that attacked us last night? Don't you think that it was weird he attacked right after I was summoned?"

"Yes, I don't understand why they attacked us like that. They used modern mundane weapons."

"I know guns aren't really magic weapons but didn't it feel weird to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I sensed something when those bullets went flying."

Bazett was curious, she wasn't an expert on modern guns but they seemed a little too powerful to cause the building that much damage. She thought maybe they were reenforced but found it hard to believe that a magician would even use something like guns. There had been one such man but rumors were that he was dead.

0000

Flat Escardo sat on a park bench, he was dressed in a bit of a fancy vest for such a public setting and the crisp clean shirt he wore certainly made him seem like he had money. He had child like eyes, in the sense that they had wonder and innocence in them. Of course he was not really a child nearing his twenties.

At the moment command seals formed at his hand. "This is so cool!"

That hand held an arrow. The story that his teacher had run off and no one knew for certain where but there was talk about some sort of magic war that he participated. People assumed he ran off to join it once more, other said he would never do that. Either way Fiat looked into his teacher's office and found paper that included the arrow. It was supposed to be a relic used by a famous archer. It was a gift from another teacher but really his teacher didn't care and left it on a pile of unopened boxes as paper weight.

Flat found it as the only opened package assumed it was important. Flat came to the conclusion that his teacher was testing him. He had been held back for a while and he thought his teacher was giving him a way to finally prove himself. So he figured out that his teacher really did go to the war zone. Flat assumed that he was supposed to follow in his teacher foot steps to prove himself and the arrow was to be used.

All of that was wrong.

Flat had been held back because he lacked common sense thought he did have great abilities.

For example he had performed a proper summoning without a circle in a park. Now stood before him a red haired man in green clothing.

"Master, I am Archer, your servant."

"When did you show up?" He didn't realize it as he stared at his cool command seals.

"Master might we suggest we leave." Archer said rather nervously as he was summoned in broad day light. And he was noticing people start to look at him because of his odd clothes.

As police were starting to check on the pair Archer pulled his master away so they weren't questioned.

"I'm never using these! I want them forever!" Flat yelled out as he ran.

0000

Rider and Miyu were in the city and were getting a few looks mostly because Rider was wearing such strange clothes. Even if they stood out a little Rider guessed

Anyway Rider had found a suit case and Miyu suggested they take it to the certainly didn't have any issues with it.

As they turned the suit case in and got some strange looks from a police officer at the nearest police box.

As the police officer was about to question them the man who own the suit case arrive. It turns out he was carrying a large sum of money and he gave them ten percent. And that ten percent was also a lot.

Miyu realized that for some reason she couldn't understand Rider was lucky. Like really lucky.

0000

Shirou spent the day almost like a mindless zombie. He stayed behind and repaired some equipment for the student council. Issei told him he didn't have to do it but beside Shirou own nature he just wanted some time alone to do anything but think. Going home so early would do nothing but remind him of the home his father once lived.

By the time Shirou started his trek back home he realized that it had gotten late.

Shirou began to walk home when he spotted something at the corner of his eyes. He walked towards the sport field when he spotted flashes of light.

A man with white hair and a red coat fought with black and white sword against a man with skin as dark as night and a skull mask.

Assassin had tried to sneak up on Rin and take her out. Zouken's orders had been to observe and if a chance came to take out one of the master then take it. Should one of the masters destroy one of the assassin then any other master watching would think that assassin was gone. It would also give Zouken a chance to find out about strategies and noble phantasm the servant might have. It was very little risk and high reward as he had nearly a hundred other assassins running around.

Assassin had watched Rin go to school and it seemed like an easy target, a master out in the open. The assassin planned to use a poison tipped blade to strike Rin, even if the wound didn't hit anything critical she would die soon enough. What the assassin didn't expect was for Archer to block the attack in the last instant. Archer chased Assassin to the field, it was dark and that was Assassin turf but it was also wide and open so at the very least gave the Archer a lot to work with.

Swords impaled themselves into the ground blocking Assassin where ever he tried to escape.

Archer smiled confident the battle, "Stop stalling. You have neither the power or the weapons to defeat me."

Assassin threw a dagger at Archer who quickly deflected it without effort.

Assassin didn't have the single to fight one on one or even at a distance like Archer. He would need to get lucky.

Which he did.

He spotted Shirou at the fence and instead of attacking the confident servant in front of him he tossed another dagger at him. The fence blocked the blow but Shirou reacted by trying to run away.

Archer's eye widened for a second to take it in and when attention went back to the servant he had fled.

Shirou raced back in school hopping to hide there from whatever he had just walked into. He took a moment to catch his breath and lean on the wall, as he tried to make sense of things.

A moment later he felt a sharp pain his chest, he looked down to see a black hand pushing a dagger into his chest.

Assassin didn't much care about Shirou and certainly didn't think him important but like all the servants he knew they couldn't leave witness. He pulled out the dagger and slunk into the shadow leaving the boy to die.

Shirou remembered his father's last words and the promise he made and he wanted to keep it.

It only took a moment for someone to find him. Rin found him and hated that their actions lead to a civilian dying, especially realizing who he was and what he meant to someone she cared about. She ordered Archer to find Assassin as she pulled out a ruby colored gem that her father once gave her.

There was darkness. Utter darkness and Shirou wasn't sure of what that meant. Was there nothing beyond this life or had he simply not reached it yet. He was fairly certain he was if not dead very close to it. He no longer felt pain or his body. Then a red light sparkled through the darkness and he felt something, a sort of pull.

Then he saw darkness of another variety, he didn't know what the darkness was but the best he could describe it as was evil.

Someone once wrote that to 'gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you' and that was the best way to describe what was happening. There were flashes of light, of battles like he just saw, or killers, of heroes, of miracles and horrors playing out.

Shirou woke up a few moment alone with no wound to speak off and a small gem besides him. He was certain he was going to die and he didn't know what happened.

He made his way home confused even more so. What he saw and what happened were on the top of his list. Still he arrived home alive if anything.

When he arrived home it was dark, not the night which was, but his home was alive. Taiga had already told him she wasn't going to be around but it looked like Sakura was gone home. She left him a note to that affect with a dish she prepared for him. Shirou started to eat as he remembered the red jewel he found when he woke up.

0000

Archer handed Rin a red jewel. The master assumed that her servant had picked up after she left.

"You saved his life?" He asked her.

Rin didn't answer, she should have left him die so no one would know but she couldn't let that happen.

"That was stupid." Archer told her.

Rin was about to comment when she stopped, "Assassin is still out there, if he catches wind that he's still alive he won't hesitate to kill her."

Rin realized her mistake. They quickly made their way to him.

0000

He got lucky, he turned on the lights the right moment to catch a glimpse of the thing that killed him.

Shirou reacted like anyone would after seeing someone that had stabbed him. He ran as fast as he could.

Assassin was easily the weakest servant but he was still faster than a normal teenager. Assassin slowly chased after the boy knowing full well that he couldn't get far.

Shirou in desperation raced towards the shed hopping to either keep his attacker out or to find some sort of weapon to use.

Assassin walked slowly after him enjoying this, against servants he'd lose like this in and instant and he normally attacked from the shadows. But for once he was the one with all the power, he could be as open about this as he wanted, he crush him as if he was nothing. The boy was actually going to an enclosed space and there was no one around, the boy could only make this easier if he stuck the blade in his own throat by himself.

Shirou closed the door behind him, panic quickly set in. Shirou did not want to die, and people die when they are murdered.

He wasn't finding anything to fight with as the shadow like man walked towards him.

Little did the young man know that a circle was starting to glow right behind him. Ten years ago the circle was formed there and though covered up it remained.

There were several factors as to why the circle began to glow, the proximity of magus, the ritual taking place and presence of an artifact during its creation and at that moment.

Shirou grabbed a pipe from the floor."Trace on!"

Shirou forced what little skill he had to try and strengthen the item to use as a weapon. Assassin lunged at him with a dagger and the tip of the knife slashed at Shirou's shirt. Shirou managed to block the next attack but the force this time forced him to tumble backwards onto the floor. Energy filled the air and a new figure appeared.

The moonlight caught the figure's silver armor catching Shirou's gaze as he looked up.

"I ask you. Are you my master?" She spoke to him and a calm voice.

"Master?"

Her eyes quickly turned away from him to the dark figure.

"Assassin!" She knew this servant and judging from the torn shirt her master wore and the general display off blood she had no choice to show patience.

Assassin took a step back afraid of the new being. The knightly figure raised a sword made invisible by magical winds. As Assassin tried to run away Servant closed the distance but was quickly impaled the invisible blade. As she pressed forwards the winds pushed the would-be killer away.

As Assassin body fell to the ground the skull mask cracked and the boy started to dissolved into energy.

0000

Rin noticed a bright light from the home as they jumped through the air.

"A summoning?!"

Archer and Rin raced to the home but as a dagger pass them they were forced to land on the street.

"Here to finish the job." Rin grumbled, only two streets away from her classmates home. "Archer, kill him. I don't want to waste anymore time with him."

"Understood." Archer said as his hands formed his two favorite blades. Archer ran to the assassin who tried to bolt away into the shadows. Archer would not let him escape the street light they were under.

The black sword Kanshou was flung at Assassin who skillfully doge it. Assassin pulled his dagger at the last instant to block Archer's new attack with the white sword Bakuya.

Archer smiled one that Assassin realized trouble only too late.

The sword were married and would always be drawn to one another and on its way back the white sword embedded itself into the dark servant's back. At the terrible sensation Assassin dropped his guard and Archer took his opening and stabbed him with the other blade right in the heart.

The fallen servant let out a groan as he collapsed onto the ground before vanish into mist like energy.

Rin let out a sigh in relief. She assumed that Emiya had made it home, maybe he sensed the assassin somehow or after nearly dying decided to enter the war and get a servant for protection. Maybe he had known about the war and was deciding if he should join and this was what pushed to a decision because of Assassin. She didn't know the details, in fact she was surprised to find out he was a magus, she had never sensed any prana from him. She would question him, after all it was the least he could do after she saved his life. Twice it would seem as they gotten to assassin before he was hurt.

He could prove to be a useful ally, after all with all the masters they'd have a much better chance surviving together.

"Archer, let's check on Emiya."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Her servant responded. "You saw that light, he summoned a servant, he might think-"

"Shirou!" A loud voice banged on the doors of the home.

Rin looked around the corner, "Huh?" It was one of the teachers from the school.

"Shirou! I heard some commotion! Are you okay!?" The woman pounded on the door.

"Coming! Coming!" Shirou yelled back.

Rin sighed, "He's fine. I'll talk to him tomorrow, she'll just make it harder." Rin assumed hypnotizing his neighbor and guardian was likely not the best way to start the talk of booming allies.

"You did well, we took down assassin. Let's go home."

Archer was not really paying attention, it was odd to see someone like Taiga again. He had a secret that he kept from his master. A pretty big one, one that let him no certain events about the future. And they were wrong, he should have battled Lancer, Taiga arriving, Shinji had been absent for sometime, there were numerous more masters and someone had done something to Kiritsugu's grave. Something was terribly wrong.

0000

Ilya stood by the grave of her father. She had been frustrated for day being forced to stay in the castle as her maids and familiar tried to gather more information on the numerous masters. Then they brought her news about this.

Someone had desecrated her father's remains. She didn't know how to react.

Was this someone attempt to get her so-called brother to act?

Was this a challenge from one of the other masters to her? Maybe one of the other families, she wouldn't put it past the Matou family.

There stood before her the grave of her father after the police had finished. Her Grandfather had told her about how he had left her and killed her mother and forgotten about her and gotten a new child.

She was supposed to hate him but there she was furious that someone desecrated his resting place.

She wasn't even sure why she brought them but she brought flowers that she picked. She placed them by the head stone. She felt warm tears stream from her eyes. She told herself that was her last kindness, thanks for giving her life. That with that small act she would kill Shirou without any regrets or debts owed. That's what she told herself as she cried in the night.

She felt the large hand of her servant gently pat her head.

Berserker was many things, powerful and mad being two of them. Still he knew that this girl was sad beyonds and gently tried to comfort her even if his mind was lost to madness but his heart remained strong.

0000

Another Assassin watched Ilya and another watched Rin leave. Hiding in between the tree branches this Assassin received orders to pull back. Watching Rin and Archer leave it was deemed that he didn't have much to do there.

As it turned away it sensed something as he looked back. An instant later a staff like weapon with a blade went through his body impaling him into the tree. The weapon was called a naginata, a staff weapon with a dark wood and shining blade. It was a Japanese weapon which in itself was a bit odd.

Then he noticed a woman standing on a building nearby staring at him. She wore a taisho style Kimono, with a long dark pink hakama skirt and a light pink top. She wore black around black arm guards. Around her shoulder and around her back were long black silk strands tied into cute ribbons at her shoulders. There also stood a black bow that kept her silvery hair in a pony tail. Her skin was moon white but the real thing that drew his eyes was her mask. She wore an ivory mask that conformed to her face but didn't reveal any detail of it, it even covered over her eyes.

In her hand she held a halberd and before Assassin could react she jumped towards him and slammed the bladed end of her weapon into his head.

0000

Zouken had watched the battle through his connection between the Assassins.

The ancient magus was more than willing to sacrifices his servants. He still had 77 assassins hidden around the city gathering information. They had already figured out the identities of several master and a few of the servants.

The Einzenbern master seemed to be Emiya's daughter and was teamed up with a large Berserker.

The Tohsaka head was teamed up with an archer who Zouken couldn't identify. He was called an archer but used two chinese blades. Zouken didn't know any bowmen that used blades like that or wore red coats or had tanned skin with snow white hair.

Emiya seemed to be the one he got the most information about. The young man had summoned the Saber from the last war and since Zouken watched from a distance the last war he knew she was King Arthur. Shirou would be much easier to control, he wasn't sure about the boy knowing he was the son of the Magus Killer and the fact he showed no promise. Still Zouken was certain he could use Sakura to control him. Zouken was well aware that she had a rather obvious crush on.

"Eat up! Here comes the bird." Avenger said as he tried to spoon feed Shinji.

Zouken was sitting at the dinner table but he could see Shinji on the living room couch. He was always tired and barely conscious most of the time just providing for his servant.

Zouken wasn't sure about Avenger, his skills were terrible and his sole weapons, though looked impressive, were useless. He had one interesting skill that let his opponents feel his pain but that required him to get hurt and stay conscious.

Then there was the fact that Avenger seemed to be insane. One moment he was innocent and the next he could be trying to kill someone. In fact Zouken had to stop Avenger from opening up Shinji to sleep in him earlier that day.

Maybe he should do something about Sakura, he should try to make sure that the Matou line continued past this war.

Still Zouken was worried about this latest servant. Judging by her clothes she seemed to be some sort of Japanese heroic spirit though the Grail system shouldn't select any from Japan. Also this spirit used a European weapon too. The spirit had a unique look but Zouken couldn't identity her. He wasn't certain which class she was in but he was guessing that she was a Lancer. But what worried him was that that Lancer had somehow spotted one of his assassins while using presence concealment.

He had a plan and reason to specifically summon the Hundred-Face Assassin. If someone could spot them it would hamper his plans.

0000

Luvia was sitting at the table as her servant Augustus placed so food for her and her Saber. Saber didn't really need to eat but did so anyway.

Augustus had come ahead Luvia bought a nice manor and got it set up for Luvia.

Mordred paused for a moment.

"Is something the matter?" Luvia asked her servant.

"…I don't think so. It's an odd feeling. I just feel that I should be out there fighting."

"Patience, my familiars are scouring for information on the other servants and master. We cannot rush to battle without a plan." The master smiled a very knowing smile."

0000

Rider tucked the young girl into a bed. Using the money they were given they gotten a room at a hotel and some clothes so Rider wouldn't stand out as much.

Still the hotel would serve as shelter as Rider assumed the priest would find her at her orphanage. He didn't know what to do but he would protect his master from whatever would come.

0000

Shirou watched Saber for a moment both stunned by her beauty and the sheer power that emanated from her.

"Master, I am your servant Saber come in response to your summons. My sword will henceforth be at your side. Your fate is henceforth my fate. The pact is now sealed."

He might have been a third rate magus but he understood some of the issues about the whole contract thing. A pain spread from his hand as a sword like mark formed on its back.

At that moment Saber looked at Shirou stepping out of the shed and recognize it.

"Master?"

"You don't have to call me that, my name is Shirou Emiya."

"Emiya?" She paused for a moment. "I will call you Shirou, that sounds more pleasing."

"What's going on?"

"The Holy Grail War has begun." Saber answered.

Shirou was still confused as to what was happening but he didn't have much time to think as someone pounded on his front door.

"SHIROU!"

"Taiga!" Shirou panicked. " That's my teacher we can't let her know about this. She doesn't know anything about magic."

Saber quickly understood what it would mean for a normal person to find out about magic and if her master liked this woman then they should avoid that out come.

"We can't have her see you like this." Shirou pointed out.

Saber certainly understood that would be hard to explain why she was wearing armor. Times like this she wished she was a regular heroic spirit and could go into spiritual form.

"Hide in one of the back rooms." Shirou pushed the servant into one of the other rooms and went to greet his teacher.

"Shirou! I heard some commotion! Are you okay!?" The woman pounded on the door.

"Coming! Coming!" Shirou yelled back as he closed his jacket so his teacher wouldn't see the blood on his shirt.

When he opened the door Taiga quickly grabbed the young man that was her little brother in all but blood.

She finally pushed him away and looked around."I swore I heard something happen."

"No, I don't know what you heard. I sort of tripped." Shirou spoke as he noted a small table he tripped over as he tried to escape Assassin.

"I swear I heard a voice before. Like you were talking to someone."

Shirou didn't know how to answer.

At that moment he was literally saved by the bell as the phone rang. It was near the front door but before he could reach it Taiga hit the speaker phone button.

"Ah, Emiya Residence?" Shirou greeted unsure, he got that Taiga did that because she could tell that he was keeping something from her.

"Sempai?" Sakura's voice was heard. "I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?" Shirou asked even then being unable to turn down someone who needed help.

"Ah, Shinji is still sick and my grandfather thought it would be better if I stayed at a friends home for the time being."

"Of course you can stay here with Shirou!" Taiga said happily.

"Ah!" Both teenagers reacted, Sakura because she didn't think Taiga was there.

"I will feel better knowing that Shirou isn't home alone."

"Sempai, is this really okay?" Sakura asked a hopeful tone entering her voice.

"Of course." Shirou couldn't refuse.

"I will be there in the morning." Sakura said happily.

Sakura only assumed that Zouken wanted her out of the way. This move had many benefits, one it got Zouken another chance to survive if something went wrong, Sakura would be safer and less of a target at Shirou's home so if this war was another failure the Matou line would continue. The big reason was that Zouken knew Shirou had a powerful servant and was the son of the Magus Killer and unsure of his capabilities. Sending Sakura to him he would be preoccupied protecting her that he wouldn't put all his focus on the war making him and easier target in the end. And worst come to worst he could use Sakura against him. His plans would be different if he knew about Rider.

As they hung up the phone Shirou was content that Taiga was distracted.

"Shirou." Saber's voice called out.

He turned around to find Saber now wearing a black suit she found in the back, one that was the perfect fit for her.

Taiga growled, "Shirou! Who is she?"

Shirou would spend the next half hour explaining it to Taiga that Saber was an associate of his father's from London.

0000

Caster was up in the temple. She had watched Hercules leave with the girl from a distance. When she was alive she had known the hero and they weren't the closes of friends and she knew from the start they would likely become enemies. Still they shared a mutual hatred of Hera and the witch knew from just speaking at him for an hour that he was much more than a pile of muscles. If anything she did respect the man. Still she pitied that he had been summoned as a Berserker and kept on such a leash. She decided then that the instant she was able she would put him down quickly.

Still she had work to do. The last night someone had dug up a grave and that didn't settle well with her. Had one of the magus decided to dabble into necromancy?

She moved on with her plan and found the last would be master and cut off his hand. The command seals were intact.

As the summing was about to be completed she sensed something was wrong. The room shook with an explosion and she was tossed to the wall.

As the smoke started to clear she spotted a man on the floor, he was a samurai dressed in purple and he was knocked out.

As she started to get up she found a silver blade at her neck.

"Medea of Clolchis." Ruler spoke. "You have tried to subvert the rules of the Holy Grail War. As a servant you are eligible to summon another servant."

Caster didn't know how to react, she could detect that this servant had strong magical resistance and she couldn't sense a connection to the knocked out swordsman. Worst of all this new servant knew her identity.

"As Ruler, I have prevented that. Under the authority of the Grail I managed to transfer the command seals to someone more appropriate. This will be your one warning."

The servant gave the ultimatum and vanished into spiritual form.

"Ruler?" Caster questioned for a second, she made a note to put up stronger bounded fields and not just ward away people.

The witch quickly checked on her downed assassin, he could be controlled easily enough with a spell. She needed to his master, if he tried to reach him or use a command seal her spells would be broken.

She found the new master quickly and she cursed the gods again for her fate for the first time in centuries.

0000

Luvia was working on a piece of paper. She was checking some calculations, she came the conclusion Zouken had come to a while ago. Caster and the Mage Association and Clock Tower had come to the same conclusion as well.

It was a strange fluke of the grail summoning so many servants and drawing so much power. It would take nearly double the number of servants to activate the grail. Once twelve servants had died the grail would become a wish granting tool. Thirteen or more the grail would become a passage to the Root.

Once the number was reached it would certainly become an all out war against the servants just to reach the grail first to use it.

That would certainly change things. Luvia realized she could form alliances. Though normally servants would in the end had to kill one another at the end this changed things. If the master and servants could agree on a wish they didn't have to worry about turning on one another in the end. Just fighting with a team would make things easier and safer.

Luvia would look over the information that she gathered and see if anyone stood out to her.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Notes: Okay, I got through what was a long prologue. The next chapter won't be this long or expostion-y. I think the biggest ideas have been set. You won't see everyone in every chapter so it won't be an endless read each chapter. If you are keeping track one saber, caster,lancer and berserker have yet to show up. Give them time. So there will be some team up and let's face it Caster is known for pulling dirty tricks so don't think she won't cause trouble even if Ruler threaten her. Anyway, I hope you found this interesting and if you liked leave a review telling me what you thought.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Unlikely Allies

**Fate's End**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate Universe or anything in it.**

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><p>Chapter 3: Unlikely Allies<p>

Things don't work out as planned. That idea even spun out the phrase that if you want to make God laugh then tell him your plan. It does seem like universe takes some sort of joy from ruining plans.

For Sakura she didn't expect another girl to be at Shirou's home. She certainly didn't expect her to be a servant. She might not have been the most powerful magus or most experienced one but she knew the servant classes to recognize the name Saber.

She avoided a fight by having Rider stay a safe distance in her spiritual form. She didn't know Shirou was a magus and even now she could just barely sense him giving prana to his servant. She didn't know how Shirou would react to find out she had Rider. So for the moment she and Rider decided to keep this secret.

Sakura was in little danger at the time, she would have trouble if Rider needed far more Prana but for the moment everything was well. Rider planned to avoid fighting and just try to take Sakura way from danger if anything happened to prevent such prana drain.

Sakura was still fairly happy as she cooked breakfast with Shirou. Shirou had insisted on doing it himself but she insisted to help in a way to pay him for letting her stay there.

What Saber, Shirou, Sakura didn't see coming was that Taiga would challenge Saber.

In the dojo Taiga armed with a wooded sword fought with Saber also armed with a similar weapon. Saber had fought with a wooden sword in her youth, she remembered fighting her step brother Kay. Kay could never beat her and the situation right now was pretty much the same.

Taiga did show some talent with a sword but Saber had a life time of fighting with sword in life in death situations and was a servant.

Really she easily dodge and blocked the attacks. With a smack on the head she hit Taiga.

The teachers eyes grew wide as she rubbed her head.

Saber took a deep breath, "You are surprisingly skilled. I did not expect Shirou to know someone like you."

"You knew Kiritsugu?" Taiga and turned away from her walking towards her things.

Saber tried to keep her emotions level, "Yes, I knew Kiritsugu." She wasn't fond of him but saw no reason to speak ill of him to his friends especially after his death.

She had seen his picture at the altar and last name along with the shed told her he had lived there. She didn't want to pry and asked what happened.

"You know when I met him I thought he was odd." Taiga said putting down the weapon she had been using. "He seemed wise, like he had seen the world a dozen times over and that he carried everything he saw and done with him. It wasn't until years later that I started to notice it. That he was breaking down, I think it was when he told me about his wife that it sunk in."

Saber flinched at a memory of a silver haired woman who she knew was dead, she forced herself not to think of the sacrifice she made that went to waste.

Taiga continued to speak in a steady calm tone if not a little sad. "He only told me about her once. He didn't even say her name but the way he spoke about her…he loved her. She died shortly after they arrived in Fuyuki and not too long after that… he found Shirou. I think that boy kept him alive."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how long he knew but thinking back on it he had to know. I guess all those long tripe to Europe must have been to try and get treatment and not tell use about was to keep Shirou from worrying." Taiga let out a long sad sigh, "The last night I talked to him I had dinner here with him and Shirou. Kiritsugu talked to me a little while Shirou did some homework, he told me about his wife and how much he loved having me around. He asked me something, he asked me to keep an eye on Shirou. I promised him I would and that was the last thing he said to me. Later that night my family got a call from Shirou and Kiritsugu was dead. I think he knew he was dying. He looked so peaceful in the end. Still I made that promise, I promised I'd watch Shirou and make sure he grew up into a fine young man." Taiga picked up something she had she propped against the wall. "That's why I don't take off this tiger strap off, it reminds me of Kiritsugu." She left out the fact that she had a crush on him when she first got the strap.

A slight shiver went through Saber's back.

"That's why I won't give up!"

Saber raised the sword at the last instant to block Taiga's attack. Saber was forced to grit her teeth and start putting some effort into her defense. She looked at the weapon Taiga held and Saber could sense something faintly, she detect a small curse on the weapon. There was a frightening look in Taiga's eyes, almost akin to blood lust.

The next thing she felt was Taiga spin kick her back leg dropping her to the ground. Taiga pointed the cursed weapon at the petite servant. Had Saber not been surprised she could have fought back in time but that was a moment too late. Saber looked up at a serious Taiga and swore she could a heard a tiger growl.

Taiga said with the upmost serious tone, "I promised Kiritsugu that I would watch over him. I will not let him go so easily. I promise you that if you hurt him or let him get hurt I will come after you."

Saber could have said a number of things but she understood where Taiga was coming from. She just wanted to protect someone dear to her.

"Breakfast is ready!" Shirou's voice rang out.

"Breakfast! Taiga ran off like a giddy child to the smell of food.

Saber blinked at the sudden shattered mood.

Taiga had some certain skill but not in Saber's league and if Saber hadn't gone easy on her she wouldn't have been lucky to get the drop on her. Still the woman was a little scary and would be more so if food couldn't distract her so much.

0000

It was the weekend so there was no school so at the very least it was letting it all settle for Shirou.

An hour after they ate and Taiga left he found himself walking around the house.

"It's a shame that you lost your baggage." Sakura told Saber. "Still I think this suits you better than the suit." Shirou looked into the open door to one of the rooms where he found Saber wearing a long blue skirt with a white top with a string bow. It was an outfit that Sakura got for a gift but it wasn't her size.

Saber was happy to take an outfit that didn't remind her so much of her former master.

Shirou couldn't help but think that outfit suited her. He actually thought she was cute in it.

That was when someone knocked on the door. Shirou went to answer and found Raiga at the front door with two of his guys waiting by the car that brought him.

"Hello Shirou." Raiga greeted him.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Shirou gave a rather blunt greeting. "I mean Fuji-nee said you weren't feeling well."

He huffed, "That granddaughter of mine is just worrying." His voice had always been a bit rough but it sounded gruffer. "She acts like I'm going to live forever. She's even taken my cigarets. I think I'm old enough to decide if I should smoke."

"You should still probably rest."

"You sound like my doctors. I'll rest later but there are things to do first." He looked over at his guys. " Bringt it out boys."

Shirou thought it was weird that brought such a large truck. They pulled out a motorcycle with a bright red paint job.

"A motorcycle?"

"Yes, a motorcycle." Raiga jabbed at the boy. "You've worked on enough to recognize one. Consider it an early birthday gift."

"Its beautiful."

"Yeah, she is." Raiga smiled. "That's a Yamaha V-Max, I had them give it a red coat because I thought it suited you better than black."

"It's for me?"

"Yes, it is. I handled the registry and everything you just learn to ride it and get a motorcycle license."

"This is too much."

"Kid, the amount of cash you've saved me and my guys by fixing up our bikes you've saved us enough to buy two of these easily. Besides, I'm sure your dad would give you something like this when the time came. You know that ten years ago he bought one through me, he only said it was a gift for someone. He only told me they ended crashing it in the first week."

Inside the house Saber sneezed.

Raiga handed Shirou the keys, "Take good care of her and she will take good care of you."

0000

In another part of the city Rider and Waver walked down the street. Waver felt that it would not be a good idea to race down the street with a chariot.

To Rider's delight all his noble phantasms had been restored when he was brought back. To another delight he had a new pair of pants and Waver provided him with a new shirt like the one he had during the previous war.

What they were doing now was scouting the city. Waver's metal maid stayed behind the guard the house.

At the moment they were just getting a feel for the land, they didn't expect any master to attack during the middle of the day and if they dared Rider would be able to deal with them.

"You want to find an alliance?" Waver questioned his servant.

"If you are correct that nine servants can survive this war and if they are truly heroic servants than they would certainly not wish for the destruction at the end of the last war to occur again. Then that would leave only to persuade the masters to side with us."

"I think that's easier said than done." Waver wasn't really surprised by this idea, in the last war Rider had tried to get servants to follow him and during his life had been known to just win over enemies to his side.

"Most of the magus are only in this war for glory and to reach the root. I see no reason they cannot still do that. We only seek to make sure another disaster does not happen and them reaching the root would not result in such a thing."

"What about you? Didn't you have a wish of your own to be reincarnated?"

The King of Conquerers smiled softly, "I would not wish for my birth to be at the cost of innocent lives. Should there be another way to achieve it I will take it but I would dishonor my men, my people and myself not to do everything I can to prevent such a disaster."

Waver was still not sure what caused the disaster in the last war, he was certain some instability occurred during the last fight of the war between the servants. In a way Rider's plan made sense, if he could find the masters with a harmless wish and gathered them together they could fight off the other masters.

He didn't care for the root or the wish if they wanted it they could have it, he just wanted to prevent the disaster.

Iskander looked around and Waver asked, "Is something wrong?"

Before he could say anything else Waver bumped into a young woman with armfuls of grocery bags.

"Watch where you're going?" She stared at the pair. "Wait, don't I know you from somewhere."

"It's you!" Rider shouted. "Every time I think I understand the world it throws me another surprise."

"What are you talking about?" Waver asked the rather large man as he tugged on his coat.

"Oh come off it boy. It might have been ten years but certainly you can still recognize her."

Waver gazed at the woman before him for a moment.

"It's you!" Taiga shouted.

"It's that girl we met here ten years ago. The one that was looking for that barrel thief."

That was a story Waver had almost forgotten. Ten years ago Rider and Waver ran into the girl looking for a thief that stile a barrel of wine from a friends store. She didn't know Rider was the thief. During the night , they saved a puppy and caught an underwear thief. In the end Waver used hypnotism to make her go home and later sent some barrels of wine to the store to make up for his servant.

The last time Waver didn't know Japanese but after years of diving into Japanese video games he learned.

"Wow, you haven't changed at all!" Taiga was amazed at Rider who looked just like he had ten years ago. "You…" She looked at Waver. "You've changed a lot."

"For the better assure you." Rider grinned before giving Waver a look. "Maybe you should take out to get some coffee or something of the sort."

Waver suddenly went back to a memory of the past, the night they ran into the Taiga Rider admitted that he wanted Waver to experience some romance.

He hissed at his servant in English, "This isn't your stupid idea about romance again?"

Rider spoke to him back in the same language, "I assure you I had nothing to do with this, this is fate's hand at play."

"What about fate?" Taiga said in English.

Rider and Waver looked at her and blinked.

"You know what we were saying?" Waver returned to Japanese.

"Yeah," Taiga nodded. "I'm English teacher now, it would be silly if I couldn't understand English."

Neither of them had expected that and they were both grateful that neither said anything about the war in English.

'_Master, I suggest you take the woman away from here_.' Rider mentally spoke to Waver.

Waver did his best not to glare at him, _'I swear if you are trying to put us together I will use a command seal-_'

'_I sense a servant nearby. I have no doubt they are sensing me. I doubt that they will start a fight in daylight. No master would risk revealing magic to the world, but we shouldn't risk exposing this woman to anything of the sort_.'

Waver had to agree there was a small chance that enemies could attack. There weren't too many people around so Waver couldn't know for sure if they would attack.

If his life as a magus had taught him anything was that other magus would take risks and even kill mundane people if they though they could get something out of it.

Without paying attention Waver grabbed her hand and he intended to pull her away but that was when he felt the bandages around her hand.

A thought struck him, one that deeply unnerved him.

Could fate be this cruel? Could he find himself meeting a girl he once met ten years ago randomly? A girl that he would never admit to Rider but he thought she was cute. Could fate bring him to such a woman and reveal to him that she was an enemy master?

He paused as he came to realization that fate could so be that cruel.

A servant around and her hand wrapped in bandages, could she be trying to get close to him. Why? To attack him? To use him?

Waver without thinking started to pull away the bandages from her hand knowing full well it would reveal her command seals.

"Hey! Stop that!" Taiga cried out having a hard time balancing the bags of food she carried as he pulled away her hand. "Don't do that!"

"Waver?" The King of Conquerers was just as confused to why his master was doing that.

"It will hurt if you do that!"

Taiga pleaded as Waver pulled the last of the bandages.

"What?" Waver let out as he realized that in fact her hand didn't have a single command seal. "Wait, why do you need bandages? Your hand isn't hurt?"

Tears formed in her eyes as she held up a finger. With a sniff, "A splitter, I can't get it out. The air stings it, without all the bandages to cushion."

It was hard to believe that the woman that was about ready to cry was the feared tiger of Fuyuki.

"That's it?" Waver couldn't believe it.

Waver gave a tired sigh as he pulled out a small pair of pliers which he carried to pluck stray eye brows. Quickly and carefully he yanked out of the splitter.

Taiga winced as the small piece of wood was ripped from her finger. Her expression quickly turned bright as relief flood over her body. "Thank you! You don't know how much I've tried to get it out." She stared blankly at the pair for a short moment. "Thank you but I have to go. My grandpa isn't doing well and I was on my way to get some medication for him. I hope to see you again." She smiled and waved them good bye as she raced off with seemingly unnatural energy.

Both the King and Magus stared at her with a blank confusion at the seemingly random action.

Rider looked around his expression deadly serious. "The presence of the servant still lingers."

Waver tossed the bandages to the side, "Maybe their master is holding them back. There are plenty of reasons not to show themselves."

"Do you have plans?" Rider questioned his master.

"Maybe an ally isn't a bad idea. Let's start off big." Waver didn't miss the proud smirk on his servant's face. "We will talk to the member of the three families that founded this war."

Rider knew of them, in fact all the servants did as general information about them had been downloaded into the servants when summoned along with other basic information about the time.

"Who do you have in mind?" Rider asked.

"Makiri family has become the Matou family and from what I've heard their head isn't someone anyone wants to meet. The head of the family has gone through terrible lengths to stay alive and even more so to try and win the war. The Einzenbern family is very desperate to win the grail and …" Waver remembered the kind woman with silver hair and knew she died as a sacrifice to create the lesser grail. "They were behind Saber's master in the last war, its doubtful they would trust us. They stay in their castle and stay away from other magus and even the Clock tower doesn't have much contact with them. As far as I know they still have that castle in the woods but if we just show up we might end up in a battle. They want to reclaim their lost magic, we might be able to come up with some deal with them."

"What of the last family?"

"The Tohsaka family has fallen over time. Their last head died during the war."

"Wasn't that Archer's master?"

"Yeah, from what the Clock Tower has gathered Archer's master was killed by someone and Archer made a new contract with another master and he fought in the battle against Saber." Waver paused to choose his words. "Still, the family lives on in one sole member, a teenaged girl named Rin. From what my familiars have gathered she has already summoned her servant and I doubt you will like to hear which class."

Rider raised an eye brow. "Don't tell me."

"An Archer." Waver started to walk towards a direction with purpose.

"And this is the one we will speak then?"

"The Tohsaka family has always wanted to reach the root. Thew new head wants it even more so to reclaim the glory her family has lost. Reaching the root would forever place her family's name in history of the magus. Her goal for reaching the grail is not harmful to the world. It's our best bet."

"Then so be it."

0000

Luvia looked over notes of the servants and masters that she had taken from what her familiars had seen. There would be 21 servants in this war and six was a daunting task but this was a bit more. She had heard an enforcers would be in the war, along with at least two agents from the Mage Association. There were rumors of some noble families were to join the war.

Luvia would rather fight this war alone and know that victory had come from her own efforts but she was not foolish enough to pass up any mutually beneficial alliance.

That would take time to see who could be of such an alliance. In the mean time she would try to take out some of the enemy masters.

Mordred watched a tv as she waited for the battle to start.

"Saber, you will be happy to know that I have found us a target." Luvia held out her notes.

"About time I've been waiting for this war to start." Saber gave her master a devilish grin. "Who are we going after? Don't tell me it's something weak like one of the Casters or Assassins."

"Though I would love nothing more to take the assassins their presence concealment make it hard to find them." Luvia did prefer to get rid of those classes. Assassins were usually a direct threat to master and Caster with magic of the age of gods were just dangers and she was sure one was draining people in the city for power and should be cut down. "No one of my familiars spotted Rider."

"Rider?" Saber repeated as she mused the words.

"I'm sure Rider will provide you a challenge as this class usually does tend to have some powerful noble phantasm."

"And their master?" Saber asked the other blonde.

"I will deal with them." Luvia leaned back in her chair. "We shall go to them during sun set and wait for the cover of night."

0000

It didn't take Waver long to find where Tohsaka lived, as he approached the old home he walked carefully with Rider right behind him.

Rin watched them approach from the window. Her bound fields had warned her they were approaching. Archer manifested behind her.

"Should I attack them?" Archer asked his master. "I don't think they intend for a battle to start."

Rin was about to go to Shirou when it all started.

"No, they don't seem to be here for an attack." Rin crossed her arms. "I will greet them but be ready to defend should they have something planned."

She went out and greeted them, she had her pride if they were peaceful only wanting to talk she would greet them like a proper host. If they were enemies she would crush them like ants.

She met them outside her door, "I am Rin Tohsaka. Introduce yourself."

Waver nodded taking in her name, "I am Waver Velvet Lord El Melloi II."

Rin's eyes grew wide hearing that name, even on the other side of the world she did her best to keep track with the Clock Tower and certainly heard about this magus who rose quickly in rank. She didn't have all the details but knew that he had survived the last war, his servant killed right before the final battle.

Rin had at that instant decided to hear him out. There was certainly something she could learn from a veteran of the war, certainly couldn't be more annoying than speaking to the priest. She also had a hope that she could learn more about what happened to her father from him. Finally, he was a lord and she could use him to get into the Clock Tower.

Waver introduced his servant, "My servant Rider will be by my side, I take it won't be any trouble."

"Not if you don't mind that I have my servant with me."

"Not at all."

They quickly were lead to the sitting room where Archer awaited with tea already made.

"Please help yourselves." Archer waved them over to the tea.

Rin sat on one side and Waver sat across from her with their servants standing next to them.

"Please have some tea, my servant has a talent for such things. Rest assured that it hasn't been poison."

"I believe you." Waver picked up the tea cup, "It's not in the Tohsaka style, it is too underhanded."

"What did you come here for?" Rin asked the man before her.

"I want to talk about the war."

"This incredible tea!" Rider interrupted as he took some of tea.

"Thank you for those kind words." Archer gave a polite nod.

"If you can fight as well as you prepare tea I would be glad to call you an ally."

"Thank you." Before Archer could speak he found that Rider wrapped an arm around him. "Join us in battle my boy! Become one of my vassals and fight by our side and over come the trials of the grail war!"

"Is he trying to get my servant to serve him?" Rin couldn't help but gawk.

"Yes, he does that." Waver sighed. "Rider let him go."

"He is a skilled warrior." Rider confirmed. "Judging from his hands he is well accustomed to not only wielding a bow but the sword as well." Rider patted Archer on the back. "Know this: the Army of the Great Conquer Iskander will always be open for you."

"Iskander? As in Alexander the great? You're Alexander the great?!" Archer was pretty shocked that there was any servant that would reveal his identity like that.

"I have my own questions to ask you." Rin tried to get the conversation back on track. "You fought in the last war, do you know what happened to the Tohsaka master?"

Waver quirked at the question, "Your father? No, I never saw him. I only ever saw Archer, I didn't even know he was Archer's master until later. I'm not sure when he died but when we fought Archer at the end I sensed he was still receiving prana." Waver paused for a moment. "There was talk that the Magus Killer was hired by the Einzenbern's to Saber's master. He was a very skilled combatant from what I saw. Still, I'm not sure if he even survived the war himself, the Mage Association has no reports of him being active after the war." As Waver spoke Rider noticed an odd look in Archer's eyes when Waver brought up the Magus Killer. "Then there is Berserker's master. It seemed like Berserker's master had a personal out with him they way he sent him to attack Archer so much."

Rin wasn't happy that the information was so vague but it did give her a sort of lead. From what she gathered Waver was just a student when he entered the war so she knew he couldn't have the skill to beat her father in a fight so she knew he couldn't have killed her.

"There was something you wanted to know?"

"Yes, as the head of one of the founding families head I was hopping that you would know what happened at the end of the war. How that disaster happened?"

"I don't know, as far as I know no one knows. The power inside the lesser grail seemed to somehow spilled, I can't really see how something like that could have happened and even if it did it shouldn't have caused that kind of disaster. The overseer priest suggests that the person who got their hands on the grail was not worthy of it. That seems unlikely. Why are you so interested in it?"

"I want to avoid it happening. I don't know if it was some sort of wish made or an attack made by one of the servants but I want to prevent that from happening. I'd take apart the grail if I could but now that it's active its impossible without risking lives."

"It is war there will always be lives at stake."

"I have accepted that." Waver paused for a moment to let that sink in. "I will be blunt, I will help you win the grail under two conditions. If at the end of this war, if something seems like it will cause a conflagration you will give up on the grail and help me do everything in our power to prevent any disaster like what happened ten years ago."

Rin stared back at the man before her. She certainly didn't want anything like that to happen again and frankly she wasn't sure it could happen again.

"And your second condition?" Rin asked him.

"If you reach the root I get all your family records dealing with the grail so that I can dismantle it, this condition would also apply should you die during the course of the battle. This would also apply should the war become another failure."

Waver clearly had a goal in mind. Should someone use the grail the ritual would be over if no one won then Waver intended to survive and tear down the Grail.

"The war has been going on for centuries and had lead to countless deaths of master, servants and civilians, there have been no results and far too much death." Waver's tone was absolute and never wavering. "One way or another this will be the final Grail War."

Archer looked at the young man with some surprise as did Rin. Rider on the other hand couldn't help but beam and hold hid head up high. He remembered the scared child that summoned him ten years ago and saw the kind of man he'd become. He was taking actions and making decisions that could easily turn every master and servant against him but he was following his convictions without hesitation.

Rider knew that if the grail was taken apart he would vanish but he would do so knowing his retainer carried on. That Waver had not only grown into a good man but one that would willing face the whole world.

Rin took a breath, as she thought about. The man would do everything to help her win the grail. Should she die or even just lose he would claim her family's records just to take down the ritual that her family had died for. Still she had to consider it, she was the last member of her family and there was no knowing if she would live long enough to get to the next war. Still if he was saying the truth then she'd have an experienced master and powerful Rider by her side.

"I will need time to consider your offer." Rin told him calmly as she already started to think.

"Very well." He took out a piece of paper and left it on the table. "This is a number you can contact me with."

Waver was just glad she hadn't flat out said no or have her servant attack him.

0000

The Knight of Treachery was finding it difficult to fight Rider in a sword fight.

The knight was back in her full body armor while Rider had changed from some cute clothes to their chain mail outfit.

Mordred fought like a beast against the Paladin known as Rider.

"I was expecting a bit more finesse from a servant of the sword." Rider held his sword before him and she pushed back Saber.

Rider had enough skill with the sword to be able redirect the fierce blows.

Saber grit her teeth especially seeing Rider smile. Rider wasn't even putting so much effort into it, it was a just a sparring session for him.

Worst yet the sword wasn't even a noble phantasm. Saber had already considered using her sword to its full extent but there was more to lose than gain.

Luvia and Mordred and went to a hotel to find a master when Rider was quick to attack them. The room was destroyed in the battle between the servants and the master seemed to escape out of the window leaving Rider to fight. The fight quickly spilled out onto the streets and as far as Saber could tell anyone else in the hotel had run away.

Saber was sure they had about twenty minutes before local law enforcement arrived and frankly she wasn't sure she had the time. Rider was a unique fighter especially for the rider class, he focused on his sword fighting and while he summoned his mount he was not ridding him and that's what was getting her worried. Luvia had gone after the master but it only took a moment for Rider to send his mount to follow her.

Her master certainly had skill but she doubted Luvia would be able to fend of a phantasmal beast and Saber would't last long without her providing prana.

Rider had Independent Action and even seemed to be using it to take some burden of his master. The real trouble was that if something killed Luvia Rider could easily out last her.

"From your armor I would guess you hail from the British Isles." Rider mused.

Saber glanced around, "I take it that you don't approve. I can understand our people have been sworn enemies since before we lived."

"I do not attack you for that but only because I have sworn to protect my master."

A scream tore the night air. Saber knew at an instant it was her master and raced towards her. Rider didn't miss a step and swung his sword at her. Saber turned in mid step and kicked the Paladin in the chest. It was enough to stall the Paladin as Saber went to her master's aid.

0000

Luvia had managed to go a few streets away when a Hippogriff of all thing descended from the sky. Luvia managed to create a wind barrier to block the assault but the creature managed to break it down quickly enough. She let out a scream as she barely avoided the attack.

Luvia prepared to fire a gem at the creature but noticed the beast stand in front of an alley like a vicious guard dog.

Rider must have been a great master to him should he be able to train him to be so loyal without him being there.

The Hippogriff had the lower body of a horse and the upper body of a griffon. From what Luvia could tell its usual range of attack was 2 - 50 but seeing its sharp talons Luvia didn't have doubt that it could tear through a single person easily. Its power was at B + rank which was certainly nothing to scoff at and she wondered if her gems would be enough.

The Hippogriff didn't flinch ready to take the attack head on. The beast let out a snarl as it got ready to attack her. It was clear to Luvia that the master had gotten trapped in the alley and the Hippogriff was sent to protect them. Luvia pulled out many gems as she could fire it. She didn't know if it would be enough but she wasn't going to die without a fight. With Saber busy fighting Rider it didn't seem like she'd make it in time.

0000

Rin hated calling the priest but it was better than speaking to him face-to-fate. At least with a phone she could hang up on him when he got to be too annoying.

"Rin?" Kotohime answered from the other end.

"How did you know it was me?"

"I have caller-ID, Rin."

Rin blinked unsure of what kind of magic that was. "I need you to answer some questions for me."

"Rin, even if i'm your guardian I am unable to play favorites during the war because of my position as-"

"I want to know about the masters in the last war."

Kotohime was quiet for a moment, he had spoken about them before but only in passing. "I suppose that would not be against the rules. What do you want to know?"

"There was a Master in the last war called Waver Velvet, what do you know about him?"

"I've heard in passing that after the war he made a name for himself in the Clock Tower."

"What about during the war?"

"An interesting young man, he went into battle with his servant by his side. Though he seemed like a coward, he depended on his servant's strength. He was a student from the Clock Tower that seemed to come to spite his teacher who had been a master. Still he had sufficient skills enough to find Caster's hide out before anyone else and destroy it. Still his highlight was after his servant died. He braved himself enough to stand up to Archer. That earned Archer's respect enough to let him live."

"What about Berserker's master?"

"Kariya Matou was found out to be Berserker's master. He wasn't even a true magus, the only reason he could summon a servant was through the skills of his father." Rin could sense some spite in the priest voice when he spoke of Zouken. That certainly got her attention because his voice was usually so emotionless. "No body was ever found but lacking true skills it was believed that he died due to the stress of supporting Berserker. For all I know his body was destroyed in the fire."

Finally Rin asked about one more master. "What about Saber's master?"

"The Magus Killer." Kotohime said with a tone that Rin had never heard in his voice before. "He was a truly skilled master. He used everything and everyone around him as tools for his victory. He used modern weapons instead of usual mystic codes. He was well known mercenary in magus communities renowned for being able to kill any target. He was known to kill many magus, getting through the strongest bound field to get at his targets. I in fact faced off against him during the last war and he shot me… if it hadn't been for something akin to a true miracle I would have died."

Rin gulped it almost sounded excited about fighting the man.

"What happened to him?" Rin finally asked.

"He didn't seem to take on anymore assingments after the war. Eventually there were rumors that Kiritsugu Emiya died."

"E-Emiya?"

"Yes, that's the true name of the Magus Killer."

"Thank you, I have to do something." Rin hung up.

"Emiya?" Rin gasped.

She wondered if it was possible that Shirou Emiya was related to this Emiya. It certainly made her question going to Shirou for an alliance. But she might need to go to him for something else.

As Archer washed the tea cups he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.

0000

Light filled the area as Luvia prepared her attack at the beast.

"Stop!" A voice screamed.

That had caused Luvia to halt her attack and the same thing seemed to happen to the hippogriff.

"Master!" Saber came running aiming her sword at the beautiful flying beast.

"Stop!" Luvia ordered the servant.

The reason she made the order was simple, she saw a small girl clinging to the hippogriff. The girl was clearly terrified but what really got Luvia's attention was the marks on her hand that looked like a grail. The Hippogriff wrapped it's feathery wing around her as if to protect her.

"Master?" Saber still held her sword.

Luvia was stunned that such a young girl had become a master.

"Get back from her!" Rider yelled reaching them. He held out his sword, "If you hurt her, I swear to God, My King, My homeland, the comrades that nothing will temper my hand until you both suffer a thousand times."

Whatever jest had been in his eyes had drained out seeing them so close to his master. It was very clear that if they hurt her he would do everything he could to make them dead.

"Saber put away your sword." Luvia told Saber.

"Master!" Mordred protested.

"Trust me." Luvia warned her off. "I am Luviagelita Edelfelt and the head of the Edelfelt family. " Luvia took a step back from Miyu. "Am I correct in assuming that this girl is your master?"

Rider moved so he was in between them and Miyu. "She is my master and I have sworn to protect her. I will assume that you understand."

"We didn't miss that." Saber spat back.

Luvia tried to keep the whole situation from exploding, "How is that possible? Magus this young often just know the barest of magic. Even performing a summoning would be difficult."

"My master isn't a true magus."Rider admitted, he often found it hard to keep secrets. "She does seem to have the qualifications to become one but has never been taught. She is an orphan from a disaster that happened ten years ago and has no knowledge on how to perform even basic spells."

"Than how is she your master?" Luvia asked trying to make sense of the story.

"She stumbled on the summoning circle of another master. The master had ordered his servant to kill the girl. If the girl hadn't been fortunate enough to activate the circle and summon me she would not be standing here."

Luvia couldn't sense any formal mage craft from the girl. Luvia could certainly detect that the small girl was providing mana to her servant with relative ease. From what she could gather if the girl slept and ate regularly the servant shouldn't have much trouble. With formal training the girl could become a true force to be feared.

"She became a master by accident?" Luvia questioned it.

"Yes." Miyu spoke up for the first time since the fighting started, the girl didn't want anyone to get hurt.

Luvia gave them a reassuring smile, "You said she was an orphan and this was an accident. I have an offer to make you. You and your master come with us. I will swear upon my honor that I will do everything in my power to protect her. All if you help me get the grail. Whatever happened after this war I will give the girl a home and even train her to use her untapped potential. All I ask is you help during the battles."

He turned to Miyu, "Does this suit you, my princess?"

Miyu looked at the older girl, "She doesn't look like a bad person. I think we can trust her."

Rider bowed, "I will aid you on the quest for the grail but I will put my master's safety above all else."

"Very well." Luvia agreed to his condition. She smiled at the young girl, "You may call me Luvia and this is my servant Saber."

Saber wasn't too found of children and let out a huff.

"Ah," Miyu said shyly. "I'm Miyu."

The hippogriff playfully licked Miyu's cheek to try to comfort her.

Rider cleared his throat as his voice got easier and more relaxed. " I am the servant Rider. I am Astolfo, the Twelfth Paladin Charlemagne."

0000

The dark coated servant walked up the steps to the temple, each step was calm and slow. Night had fallen a while ago but he knew there was someone there.

"Assassin show yourself!" He yelled out.

The purple samurai walked out of the shadows and onto the step. "I am surprised I didn't expect anyone to come looking for me." The samurai servant pulled out his sword. "Arm yourself."

"I didn't come to fight you." The dark man said his voice ever even."I need you to call your master I want to talk to them."

Assassin stared the man out, the man didn't show any sort of emotion and despite the fact that he hadn't pulled out a weapon or anything thing close to the sort he gave of a dangerous air.

A man in a dark green suit walked up to the samurai his expression was just as emotionless as the man with dark coat.

The Assassin class servant was actually the least like an assassin amongst the group.

Both emotionless men stare at one another with a cold glares. They were very much alike not in just how they carried themselves but things not easily described. In the end they were both killers and both could easily tell that fact. Without conscious effort they both began to study one another, finding weakness to exploit should they have to. Needless to say they both knew it would be a dangerous fight and there was nothing certain in the fight.

"I said I wanted to talk to his master, Souichirou Kuzuki." The dark servant reaffirmed. "I want to speak to Caster not her master."

A woman in a cloak and purple dress materialized besides the man. The dark servant couldn't see the woman's eyes but he was sure she was glaring at him.

"Now aren't you well informed." She said with an edge to her tone. "How did you know that we were all here?"

"The same way I know of Assassin unique condition as your servant."

The servant of magic flinched ever so slightly. Assassin was meant to be her servant but Ruler messed her summoning. She used a simple spell to control the mind of the servant. The master could use the command seals to break it but at the moment she was keeping that master out of it. She could use ruler breaker but that would mean she would have to provide mana. She had tapped into the ley line and her soldier were gathering even more but she didn't think it was a good idea to use more if she didn't have to.

At the moment she thought about using her noble phantasm on the servant before her but even she could tell the man was dangerous. Also he seemed far too well informed about them. Her bounded field should have kept anyone from even getting near her workshop and that certainly included familiars.

She looked at him, "What do you want?"

"First of all I want you to stop attacking people in the city to power yourself up."

She let out a laugh, "Do you fear that I will make myself to powerful to stop?"

"No, I think you're making yourself a target. I already tracked you down and I know that I'm not the first person to show up."

Caster knew that another assassin had been fought off by her Assassin and killed.

"I appreciate your concern but I think my Assassin will manage."

Though his stats were not great he did have one technique that was rather impressive.

"Your wish is survive." The man spoke. "You want to survive and take on a new life, one no longer ruled by the gods. More to that you wish to stay with your new master."

Caster was uneasy on how this servant knew her wish.

"I'm going to take out an envelope from my pocket and handed to Assassin." He slowly took out the envelope.

Assassin took it from him and gave them to Caster. As far as Caster could tell no magic was used on it, no curses or spells.

"Read over the information and I will contact you later. Verify what I what I written on them. The grail can't grant your wish in anyway you can live with. It seems to me that you can already gain that on your own. You have a master that ground you to this world and… you two know a way to keep your replenished on mana."

Caster tugged on her cloak as she felt her cheeks flushed, she mentally wondered how he knew of that of all things.

"Why would you care about my wish?" Caster questioned the other servant.

"I don't care what your do but you can be useful to achieve my goal."

"Why would I care about your goal?"

"Because if you help it would be in your benefit. I would help you survive. Look over the notes I left with you. You're a caster with powerful magic and I'm sure you have already started to look under what lies beneath Mt Enzo. You can test out what I'm telling you. I will be in contact. "

He turned around and started to walk down and soon vanished into the night.

Caster had no idea what he was playing at, was it some sort of mind game? She opened the notes and started to read through them it only took her a few moments for her stomach to turn.

"No, no, no, no."

Assassin and Kuzuki glanced at one another sharing the same thought.

The witch quickly teleported herself away.

Assassin would have admitted he didn't know Caster for a long time but that was troubling.

0000

Caster using her magic from Age of Gods quickly teleported herself to the Fuyuki Central Park. It honestly could have been a trap set up for her but she had to see.

The instant she got there she felt an overwhelming sensation, one of death and pain. Something had tainted the land to such extent that she was sure that even people without any magical training could sense it. The ground was soaked with the grudges of the dead and negative feelings. Caster was sure if she stayed there too long it would do some damage to her. She took a small glass vial and used it to scoop up some dirt before she teleported away.

She didn't want to stay there a second more than she had to.

0000

Caster reappeared at the temple gates.

"What has you so worried?" Assassin asked her.

She didn't answer but instead stormed off to her work shop to work.

Caster spend the rest night without rest or pause studying the dirty and checking on the caverns beneath the temple to gather more information on the grail.

When morning came Kuzuki found her in her work shop with papers thrown around. He usually didn't go the work shop but he was actually worried about her.

"Caster, what is the matter?"

She slowly turned to him her eyes fogged with emotions"….The grail is corrupted. No wish that is made on the grail will lead to anything short of cataclysm. It will only bring death and pain."

Caster was by no means a saint but even she would not condone such pointless death. Even the gods that tormented her in her life wouldn't be as sick as to unleash genocide onto the world in this way. Even the whole situation with Pandora was in better taste.

If someone managed to reach the grail their wish would be twisted in the worst way imaginable, it would twist it to bring as much death possible. Something was in the grail and it wanted to be brought into the world.

Caster was in a panic, the servant had been correct about her being able to stay in the world. It wouldn't be a complete life but she'd certainly take it over death. Still If anyone reached the grail it would likely kill in the process and her power would be useless to stop it.

She could fight and try to kill everyone and prevent the grail from being reached but with each dead servant the grail would get closer to being summoned. Not every servant needed to die and there were two other servants of the spell running around that might be able to match her. She could try to warn everyone but she doubted anyone would believe her and it would likely get her killed for her trouble.

So death to horrific levels was coming and she had no real way to stop it. Caster had strong reasons to panic.

A ringing was heard in her work shop and it was coming from her Master. Kuzuki took out a small cell phone from his jacket pocket. He usually never used it, it really only rang when someone called from the school.

He answered it and before he could speak the servant from last night spoke. "I wish to speak to Caster."

Kuzuki put the phone on speaker.

"Hello?" Caster looked at the device suspiciously.

"You've finished verifying what I left with you." The servant didn't ask he stated.

"I have and it's most troubling." Caster spoke.

"If you stop what you have been doing to gather more prana I would be willing to form an alliance with you. Together we keep the fighting to a minimum and deal with the threats of this war. "

"Are any of them worse than a corrupted grail?" The sarcasm in her voice was thick.

"No, but the Overseer for the war was brought back to life by it and I have suspicions that he has a connection to it. There is also his servant from the previous war with virtually every noble phantasm at his disposal. I'm sure they both want to grail to be summoned."

Caster was speechless for a moment, "You have to be joking."

"I'm afraid not."

"What do you intend to do?"

"Slow down the war and prevent as many of the servants deaths as possible. Hopefully until we can figure a way to prevent the grail from manifesting."

"That will only buy time and I have already been confronted by Ruler."

"Ruler, I was surprised by her being summoned." He was surprised, Ruler class were not standard Servant but one summoned by the grail in case of emergency to make sure the grail was goes on. Most master didn't even know it was a possible servant class only those of the founding families and servants who had information downloaded to their minds. "The purpose to summon her is to make sure the grail war is completed. She had power over servants and will use it if she deems it necessary otherwise she will just be a passive watcher. All the more reason not to bring any more attention to yourself."

He doubted that using people for energy would really bring Ruler down on Caster again but is Ruler focused on her as they moved they might not have a chance.

"Fine, I will stop." Caster relented. "I will accept your offer of an alliance. I take it that we will share resources and information."

"Of course."

Neither one was really good with trusting people but this was a special case.

"What should I call you? Assassin?" Caster questioned, she did note he had presence concealment and she assumed he was the third assassin summoned to this war.

"…" He was silent on the phone. "Personally I think it would make more sense but I was summoned as an Archer."

Caster certainly couldn't think of any archer dressed in a black coat, frankly he was dressed in modern clothing and she only assumed that it was his master's plan to confuse people.

"I will be in touch soon." The line when dead as he hung up.

Caster knew this would not be pleasant.

Just the memory of the man and she felt cold and staring into his eyes was like staring into a pit. She wondered if she was making a deal with a demon or worse.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: It took me a while to write this chapter but here we go. Teams are forming and i'm sure some are going to be a lot more evil looking than others. Still 76 of Zouken's Assassin's running around searching for everyone to carry out some sort of plan. How long until sister fight? How long until Father and Son reunited? How to stop a grail? Family will fight family. So anyway, leave a review if you liked or if you don't mind telling me what you thought.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Goals

**Fate's End**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate Universe or anything in it.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4: Goals<p>

There was fire. More fire than she dreamed was possible. There was more death and pain than she ever dared allow herself to believe was possible. Death came and claimed everyone regardless of age, gender or even morality. But pain visited them first.

People screamed in agony, some begged for mercy that never came, some gave up and waited for death. Some sacrificed others to survive only to die an instant later. Some gave up their lives to save those they cared about only for their sacrifice to be wasted. She saw people try and save others and fail. Death could not be escaped.

Piece by piece parts of himself were given up. That's what she saw, in desperate attempt to survive she saw him cast himself away. He had watched family, friends and stranger alike die before him but he kept on walking in an attempt to walk away. Still the flames licked at his legs and he couldn't move anymore. In the end he gave up himself but he couldn't move. As he gave up he looked up. Even a small part of him felt relief that his death would end this pain. And another part of him simply reached out to try and touch the sky for no other reason to see if he could.

This was the end.

His hand dropped but it never reached the ground as a man caught it.

"Rin! Wake up!"

0000

With those words Rin was pulled out of the dream. She looked up to find Archer standing over her.

"Are you all right?"

Rin blankly stared at him for a moment, "….No, no, I'm fine. Just had a bad dream."

"Well, I have your tea ready, come down for your breakfast when you are ready."

"Thanks."

Archer left the room and Rin pulled her legs to her chest and held herself. She was sure she saw into her servant's memories. She tried to push the memories of the deaths away, she felt her skin wet with sweat as she remembered the heat.

She knew that seeing his memories they would could only be an echo to how it truly felt but it still shook her.

0000

Zouken was busy gathering information on as many masters as he could. That was the key to his plan. As far as he knew this was the best way with so many masters. He guessed that many other masters were staying hidden and waiting until the number of opponents weren't so daunting.

Zouken could certainly understand it but he wouldn't let that stop him. When the time came he'd win the war.

"So what are you doing old timer?" Avenger swaggered into the work shop.

Zouken had made it so his servant, Shinji and Avenger could enter for various reasons. Though he still managed the bound field so if he had to he'd kick them out.

Zouken only glared at the servant, "What do you want?"

"Just a little curious." Avenger walked around the old workshop filled with books in a way the reminded the ancient magus almost of a drunk dance. "Motivation, I'm just curious about what the people want for the grail to give them. Shinji wants you to care about him, respect him, really aim any positive emotion towards him. " Zouken just coldly glared at the servant. "Your Assassin… well each personality want something. Most seemed to want to be individuals, some want life and somewhat the opposite. Me? I have my own things. As far as I can tell you want immortality. But that's just going by all the creepy things you've gone through to keep that wrinkled old thing going."

"What is your point?" Zouken's raised his voice just enough to notice.

"Why don't we find out the other's reasons?"

Zouken scoffed at the idea, "Most masters want the glory of gaining the wish and have their own egos blinding them to dangers."

"What about the other ones? The ones that are desperate. You've got some power, let's make them even more desperate. We can use them for our own goals or we can just break them, rob them of all hope and just crush them under foot." Avenger clapped. "That does sound like fun."

Zouken watched the servant and gave a small smile, maybe there was something to like about this servant.

0000

There is a story, about a family and an abusive father that would rant, scream and beat his family. Their neighbor, let's call him Mister A who was a fresh faced young man right out of school, heard but did nothing. The one night the father went nuts and his little girl pounded on Mister A's door for help but he never answered it and ignored her.

In the end both mother and father were found dead and the little girl went missing.

The story goes that a few days later the girl found Mister A, then no one found him ever again.

That is a horror story, an urban legend. The True story is Mister A just grew tired of all the yelling and snapped and killed the three of them. Some sort of guilt caused him to hide the young girls body. A few days later the guilt got to him and he killed himself in a hallucination fueled fear fest were he dreamnt up with the girl killing him.

Anyway, those stories spread and those stories made it so no one would rent the apartment the stories took place in.

A white haired assassin and her master sat on a couch playing video games left by Mister A after his death that no one bothered to clean out.

Assassin had a blanket wrapped around her as she ate cereal in warm milk.

Both master and servant were just waiting for the fight to start in the mean time they were just playing games. They snuck into the apartment and relaxed. They would seem like perfectly innocent girls but in the last week they had killed in enough numbers to be mass murders.

"How is someone from Victorian England beating me at Mario Kart?!" The Master yelled at her servant.

Assassin giggled and stuck her tongue at her master.

Rainbow road it tricky.

0000

Rin was looking over the various information that covered the table in the study. Before she went to bed she called some people to gather information on the Magus Killer. Her family had connections and though they didn't have as much respect for because she was a teenager they would still provide her information.

When it came to the Kiritsugu Emiya they gave it to her at a discount. There were many stories about him going around Magus communities, he was something of an urban legend. Even around the military organization and mercenary groups he was an urban legend.

He was a machine like killer, cold, efficient and once he had a target in mind there was no way to change his mind.

Rin read over paper and papers reporting powerful magus he had killed in their strong holds. Stories about him offering his help in the middle of terrible war to the side he deemed most in need and he would win battles for them. Some said he just wanted to die others said he just carried on and he didn't have any true desires.

Rin found the report of him blowing up an entire airplane to get his target disturbing. He had used many mundane means so it was more than possible that they would never know how many people he killed, how many kills had been disguised as accidents and disasters.

From what Rin could tell his last assignment was during the Holy War where he actually summoned King Arthur. There were many magus observing the war and they identified his servant from a distance when he used Excalibur to destroy a giant monster.

After the war he vanished, nothing even close to his handiwork had been seen.

Archer arrived in the study with tea as Rin looked over the final papers.

Nearly four years ago someone tracked him down, he was dead and buried.

Archer set down the tea set as Rin tossed down the last paper and scratched her head.

Archer had a good vision and he easily caught the headline of an article at the local news paper. It was a story about someone digging up the grave of one Kiritsugu Emiya and ripping out his bones.

Archer was more than shocked, there was no two ways about it Kiritsugu was his father and someone desecrated his remains. Something washed over his body, he didn't know if it was disgust, sadness or sheer rage. If he found out who did it he wasn't going to hesitate and cut them down. Still something in him remembered the man that saved him from the flames and felt something inside him being crushed.

Without a word he turned around and left the room.

Meanwhile Rin had something else going on in her mind. Shirou was Kiritsugu's son, what did that mean? Was he preparing for the war? Had he spent years trained by the magus killer to fight this war? What about the grave robbery? For safe keeping had Kiritsugu buried himself with something that Shirou went to dig up? Was Shirou so heartless as to dig something out of his dead father for the war? Was it part of a spell or ritual? Could it be a catalyst to summon his servant? The timeline would match up. Was Shirou waiting to summon his servant but got pushed into it by Assassin? Or did his father leave him a weapon or a mystic code for the war?

Finally, did his father kill hers?

Rin had no answers. She planned on getting them. What she would do to Shirou would be decided right after.

0000

They had been in town for about two days.

Saber didn't much like staying in the house that day. She felt like they wasted a day.

She watched the news and it seemed that bizarre gas leak had all stopped over night. Though there were a few strange rash of killing around the city. The police had hopped to keep them quiet but some of them weren't going to be kept quiet.

Saber knew that one or more servants were killing people to devour their souls. Though from the news she tried to find a pattern they seemed all random. There also talks about some wild beast devouring animals. Saber had a feeling that some sort of phantasmal beast had accidentally been let loose, probably by Caster or maybe Rider.

Sakura went to bed early as she was tired and Shirou sat besides her.

"Shirou, I think we need to investigate this."

Shirou looked over to Saber, "These strange death, they're the work of a servant?"

"Possibly more than one."

People were dying and Shirou truly did hate that. "Let's go."

0000

Saber and Shirou had gone off to a group of houses that had been attacked. They were near the edge of the city were there were less houses and a lot warehouses. It wasn't no surprise why someone would make this the hunting ground since if someone screamed few if any would hear it.

They started to wander closer to the warehouses.

After what seemed like two hours when Saber said, "Shirou, there is a servant nearby."

"Where?"

"There?" Saber pointed down the street where two figures walked slowly towards them.

"Good Evening, Emiya." Rin swaggered her way towards them as Archer stayed by her side.

"Tohsaka?!" Shirou blurted out.

Saber didn't wait for an order as her clothes transformed into armor and her invisible sword materialized in hand. She wasn't sure why but the servant seemed to have a rather strong killing intent.

"You're a master too?!" Shirou was more than a little surprised to find out that the school Idol was a magus.

"Don't play so coy, Emiya. I don't know how you've managed to keep it so well hidden from me but you seem have been training yourself on my families land. It takes some talent to do such a thing."

Shirou didn't know why that smile of hers scared him so much.

"I was hopping you would be so kind as to answer me a few questions." Rin continued to smile.

"Like what?"

"Your father was Kiritsugu Emiya the Magus Killer, was he not?"

Saber grit her teeth knowing that name and not liking it.

Shirou looked on confused, "That's my father's name." Shirou had never once heard his father called the magus killer. Though that was kind of an awesome sounding name.

"Your father fought during the last war. Reports suggest that he killed at least two enemy masters."

Even now Saber's stomach turned as she remembered what happened to the master she herself had seen died. In reality she had to finish the man off to spare agony.

"Now tell me," Rin commanded. "Did your father kill the Tohsaka master? The master of Archer? My father?" Rage dripped off her words.

"Did he?" A sweet and gentle voice cut through the night air.

A new player entered the game. And to their surprise it looked like a small silver haired girl.

Saber blinked, she looked like the daughter of Irisviel and Kiritsugu but Saber quickly shook off the thought. That was ten years ago and the girl would be in her twenties so Saber concluded it must be a homunculus sent in her stead.

Archer only glanced, he knew who she was and that there was truly nothing he could do to save her. He wouldn't hasten her death but that was all he could do.

"Let me introduce myself." The little girl gave a curtsy. "I am Illyasviel Von Einzbern master of the Einzbern family. This is my servant Berserker, Hercules the Hero of Greece and strongest servant in the war."

Then the thundering form of Berserker came up behind her.

Ilya had a familiar following Shirou waiting for the moment to destroy him and when she saw Rin going towards him she decided to attack now before someone killed him first.

Ilya walked towards them without fear, "So, Onii-chan tell them about your father. Tell them about what a merciless killer he was. Did he ever tell you the first person he killed was his father? Did he ever tell you how he killed the woman that took him in and raised him just to kill his target along with a plane filled with other people?" Rage was rising up in her voice.

Shirou took a step back not wanting to believe what the girl was saying. It just didn't make sense that the tired old man that saved him and would smile at him so warmly would kill those people.

"Did I leave you speechless?" Ilya stared at Shirou with a cold glare. "I guess there is no point in putting this off any more. Berserker, kill him!"

The giant let out a ghastly roar before it charged at the helpless magus.

Saber went to block the attack but found herself grabbed by Archer. Saber tried her best to break free of his hold but she knew that Archer stalled enough even at her best speed she'd never be able to reach Shirou in time, she continue to try none-the-less and was rewarded with breaking free of Archer hold. Saber frantically tried to reach him yelling at him to run but the giant was surprisingly wild man swung his massive stone weapon no one thought Shirou would survive.

Archer was pretty happy, he didn't know how many alteration of the war he'd been summoned into and he was fairly certain this would not result in a paradox but killing Shirou at this point was probably mercy kill.

Saber was in a panic, she didn't want to fail Shirou.

Ilya was uneasy about this but pushed the thoughts away and focused on what the Einzberns had told her.

Rin was blinded by her rage at the assumption that her father had been killed by Shirou's father. She did want confirmation but she tried to ignore the ache in her heart, she told herself this is how the war played out she'd saved him once and that was more than anyone could ask her for. Even if she wanted to do anything it was far to late and she mentally started to prepare a way to fight Berserker.

Berserker didn't think anything, he kinda just growled because of the madness placed on him.

Shirou on the other hand just worried that Saber would not be safe afterwards. He certainly had issues at the moment but to him his own safety was not one of them, he really could use some sort of therapy.

A chain wrapped around his waist and yanked him away from the spot he stood just as the giant stone crushed the road.

"What the hell?" Archer cursed.

As they all turned to find a woman with a blindfold and a ridiculous revealing black dress holding the chain and now Shirou.

"Are you all right?" She asked Shirou.

Rider had two standing order one was to protect Sakura which really wasn't an order it was just her duty. The other was an actual order to protect Shirou if at all possible. Sakura was asleep and reasonably safe when Rider spotted Shirou and Saber leave. She followed them in spirit form just in case. When Berserker attack she used her chain to yank him towards her and caught him.

"Shirou!" Saber yelled.

"Idiot." Archer mumbled.

"Onii-chan is a pervert." Ilya scolded him.

"Get your head out of there!" Rin yelled at Shirou as she started to lose respect for him.

It turns out when Rider yanked Shirou away and caught him Shirou landed with his face in her cleavage.

Shirou pulled himself away with a now beet red face.

"What are you doing here?" Ilya questioned the new servant.

"My master wishes that he stays alive." Rider said in a stoic tone.

Saber looked at her with suspicion, though glad that Shirou was safe but she couldn't help but wonder why any master wanted him alive.

Ilya made it clear, "If you stand in my way Berserker will take you down."

Saber made her way by Rider and for the moment accepted Rider's assistance to protect Shirou.

Archer formed his blades it was clear this was going to be a battle and he would need to be ready.

It didn't look good, there were roughly three sides to this fight. Two sides had issues with Shirou and he had two servants fighting to protect him. None of the sides knew enough about the others to know what to expect but Ilya was more than certain that she could win this with Berserker and frankly she wasn't all that wrong.

Rin took out a red rudy charged it and ready to attack.

Ilya spread her arms and strings spread out and quickly formed silver string like birds around her.

"Onii-chan, before I kill you answer me one question." Ilya smiled at him. "The Einzenbern want to grail to reclaim the lost magic, the Tohsaka heir clearly wants to reclaim some glory. Each servant wants the grail for their own reason but what do you want the grail for?"

Shirou was silent for a moment, "I don't want anyone hurt. I don't want anyone to die. I just want to end the war before anyone gets hurt."

Shirou spoke with honest and more to the point sincerity. As child like and optimistic as it sounded he was being truthful about it.

"You have to be kidding me." Archer scoffed at the idea. "This is a war, there are no wars without death and pain. Civilians will get caught in the cross fire and do you think you can save them? How about the other servants? To end this war you are going to have to kill them to end it. If you can't accept that than kill yourself and save the rest of us some hassle."

"That was a bit rude." Ilya eyes the servant. "He is right, to save someone that means someone else won't be saved."

Shirou stared at the girl, "My dad once said something like that."

Something about the air changed and Berserker roared loud enough that the buildings around them started to shake.

"Shit!" Archer let out.

The serene happy little girl was no more, there was only hate in her eyes. Her voice turned harsh, "Do not compare me to him! Berserker kill him!"

Rider and Saber readied themselves for the fight, Saber was about to tell him to run when something else happened. Thunder cracked the sky apart.

Berserker stopped and looked up and let out a growl, like he sensed something familiar.

"Heroes reborn by the Holy Grail! I the Great Iskander King of Conquerers bides you hello."

They all turned up to the sky and those without blind folds saw a flying chariot pulled by two massive bulls and lighting flying all around them.

"Rider?" Saber whispered as she saw the familiar servant.

Next to the rather large man was his master and on his other side a metal woman.

Archer couldn't help think he looked a lot less like an idiot wearing his armor.

"King of Knights? Have you return to the world for another go at the grail?" Rider yelled out.

"Rider?" Saber was more than a little confused as how he recalled her, she should be the only one to remember the previous war.

Ilya wasn't surprise having caught a few looks of her during her stay at the castle ten years ago. Ilya assumed that Kiritsugu left him Avalon which he used to summon her.

Honestly if they had talked something during that visit they might be able to resolve some issues here.

Saber was a little surprised not only to see Rider once again but that Rider's master seemed to be a lot more confident and secure with who he was now.

"It s good to see you once more Saber." Rider gave a small head nod to him.

"Now, your gorgeous young woman who defended another's master I wish to know your name. What do I call you?"

"Rider."

"Rider?" Iskander jumped off the chariot. "Another servant of the Rider class."

"Yeah, I was wondering when that would happen." Waver sighed.

"Why are there two Riders?" Saber questioned.

"It seems like you haven't been informed. "Rider told the knight. "This war has a rule change. Three whole sets of servants are to fight. There will be three riders and three sabers."

Saber was weaker than she should have been and she didn't like the idea of having to fight off two others.

"That's the thing Saber and Rider." Waver started to speak. "As far as I can tell not everyone has to die in this war. We are offering an alliance to anyone who agrees to certain terms. All I want to do is prevent the same disaster that happened at the end of the last war. I have no real wish for it."

"You just want to keep everyone safe." Shirou question the man in the red coat.

"Yes, which is why we decided to ask you. Mind you we did offer Tohsaka the same deal to which she has yet to answer." He glanced over to Rin.

"Over course this offer would goes to my fellow Rider." Iskander told the woman in black.

"I would have to discuss this with my master." The purple haired woman told them.

"This offer would of course be extended to the Einzenbern Master as well." Iskander nodded over to the small girl.

There was what could only be described as controlled fury emanating from her. "What exactly is your deal?"

"We help you get the grail in turn that you help us limits casualties among the civilians and once you get your wish the grail is torn down."

Ilya politely told him, "I will have to decline it for now."

Iskander gauged the strength that her servant held and guess how strong the small girl was to keep him in check.

He knew the stories of Hercules and if he was ever to meet him he would love nothing more to meet him but not in this insane state.

"Where's Archer?!" Waver questioned as he realized the red coated man had vanished.

"Archer?" Rin seemed confused. "What?! I didn't order that!" There was panic in her eyes as she turned and started to run.

"No…." Saber saw a flash of light in the distance.

0000

Archer pulled back the string of his newly made bow as the broken noble phantasm left his hand and flew towards the his targets.

When Iskander showed up he snuck away and quickly found a tall building and fired off his shot.

He used his link to Rin to tell her to run, of course she yelled at what he had done but his arrow was off and there was nothing he could do to stop it now.

0000

Berserker retreated and covered his tiny master.

Saber and the female Rider took defensive position around Shirou as even if they tried to run it wouldn't help. Iskander stood before Waver.

Then faster than anything the broken noble phantasm struck the ground. The force was simply that, a force that lit up the night.

When it finally died down Rin looked from a safe distance, she barely managed to get out of range with a bit help from her magic reinforced legs.

It was black, the ground as scorched black.

A loud roar filled the air as Berserker lifted itself off the ground. His back was torn and burned but saved his master, she wasn't even touched by the blast. Slowly the wound seemed to heal.

"Onii-chan are you dead?" She looked around.

She sensed that the King of Conquers had pulled back his chariot but she wondered why. Now she only found a large silver orb.

The orb began to quake and fell down and sloshed onto the ground before it turned into a metal maid.

"I'm glad that worked." Waver said rather calmly. "It would have been very embarrassing if it hadn't."

Rider patted him on his back, "Well done boy."

"I will take that as her declining our offer." Waver sighed. "What about you?" He turned to Ilya.

"I will still have to say no for the moment." Ilya told him. "For now I will give up on my attempt to kill onii-chan. Rin's Archer is more impressive than I thought and I should prepare to face him. Good night, I will leave you with your lives." Ilya walked away with the giant slowly following.

"No luck there." Iskander scratched his head. "And you said you'd speak to your master…?"

They found that Rider had vanished. He could only assume that she went to her master.

0000

"Wow!" Flat yelled out as he clapped. His Archer carried him to a tall building. "Did you see that?! It was amazing?"

"The shot was descent the power behind it was a rather good."

"Do you know who that is?" Flat asked him.

"I can't say I do." The red haired Archer admitted. "I would like to say I know an archer of that caliber but I can't think of anyone who that could be."

"Still look!" Flat pointed his finger in their direction. "Alexander the Great! King Arthur who happens to be a girl. That beautiful woman, do you know who she is?"

"No, but I do hope to find out." Archer smirked.

"The Hercules too!"

"And his master?"

"My teacher."

"He wants to prevent casualties, it doesn't sound like the test you expected."

"No, of course it is. He's doing what I told you we had to do. We have to make friends with the other servants. Everyone thinks this is a fight, when we can work together to get the goal. I think that is what my teacher is trying to teach me. I can only prove that I know it by doing it too and doing it better."

"I will just follow your lead."

0000

"Rider! Rider! He's back! He's not supposed to be back!"

Zouken glared at the thin assassin in front of him.

"He killed us! He killed us all!"

Zouken could only guess his Assassin was somehow remembering what happened in the last grail war. It didn't make sense to him, they were the same servants but they shouldn't have the memories. Even worse his Assassin fled the instant Rider arrived and now his yelling was making the other assassins's uneasy.

Zouken snapped his fingers and a long black hand reached from the shadows and grabbed the scared assassin pulling him back. Next they all heard screaming and the crunch of bones.

The other assassins became very still.

"Listen to me, I will not tolerate weakness. I will not tolerate mistakes. Unless you want to end like he did don't make me angry."

0000

"She did well, Master." The third and final Saber watched from on top of a building. He spoke through the connection he had with his master.

He had wild dark hair and wore armor that showed off how many close calls he'd been through.

"No, you were right, the King of Knights has returned to fight in this war. The King of Conquerers is with her at the moment." He paused for a moment. Agreed, I will fall back."

0000

Ruler watched the fight from a distance. She didn't want to act nor did she intend to, she only acted in Caster's case because the grail was not meant to grant a servant to a servant. If these master wanted to team together to prevent people from getting hurt she had no problems with it.

She just waited to see how this would all play out.

0000

Caster felt a chill go down her back.

She called out to Archer and a minute later they got a call and Archer arrived.

She used her crystal ball to display the fight as it happened but it wasn't much harder to replay it for Archer.

She studied his reactions as he watched it unfold and frankly it was like watching a wall, emotionless. Then for a brief second she saw something cross his face, when the small girl ordered Berserker to kill the red haired boy.

Caster would like to think she was a good at telling emotions but she couldn't make out the emotions in his brief expression. He hid his emotion well enough after that she couldn't make out a single one.

Caster listed them off, "A mysterious Archer with a taste in coats like you except red instead of black, A berserker Hercules, the King of Knights, and the King of Conquerers." She paused for a moment. "And Medusa as the second rider."

"You know her." He didn't ask, he stated.

"Yes, we met once when we were both alive." Caster told him. "They might be people you might want to talk to. Two of the master show no interest in the wish and they could easily be persuaded to join us."

Caster would usually use people and trick them but this was once where the truth would do so much more than a lie. If they wanted to play heroes then giving them a clearer goal could only help.

"No." Archer told her. "I'll watch them for now. It could be a lie just to use the boy."

Caster could tell that was not his true reason but couldn't say anything about it. There was every possibility that the master was lying just to get close to other master.

"Very well, I will leave it all to you." Caster was fine with staying where it was reasonably safe.

Still she wasn't sure if she was ready to trust him. He knew who she was but had no idea who he was. She also had no idea how hew knew what was happening in her work shop even when the bound fields were up.

They didn't speak much after that as Archer left he paused when he sensed Assassin by the temple gate.

"Going already. I certainly hope my master wasn't being rude."

He paused as he studied him. "No, there was just some information I didn't expect."

"Well, this is war we have to expect the unexpected."

"Sacrifices must be made."

"That would be so."

"I'm tired of making sacrifices and losing everything."

Assassin had been ordered by Caster to watch him whenever he arrived but he only found the man to be an enigma.

Archer walked down the steps .

He wasn't like the other servants, he wasn't a true heroic servant and he assumed that the consciousness behind the grail was taunting him. He was only summoned by accident and he was sure it was just so he could be tortured in a new way.

He was Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer and one of three Archer Servants summoned into the Fifth Grail War. He honestly thought he'd be better suited for the Assassin class but somehow he was summoned as Archer, still that meant his stats were bit better, not great since had no legend. In someway it wasn't too bad, he had an urban legend amongst magus and military that helped a little.

Still he found himself back into the world and he had to take apart the grail. When that happened he'd begone, he didn't want to go to Shirou or Ilya because it would only mean he'd have to say good bye again. He'd just do them more harm. Now they were fighting in this twisted game of death.

He didn't know what he hated more, that look in Ilya's eyes, that he never managed to keep his promise to his wife or that Ilya never grew up. He could only wonder what experiments she had been put through. Now she was set to be the grail like her mother. He couldn't let a servant die. He had time to figure it out, Ilya would die and become the grail when enough servants died and began pulled into her. The whole grail system would adjust with the number of servants and the power ultimately used and needed but he didn't want to risk it. If this was the only way he could save his daughter he'd do it. He had to find someway to end this way and save his children. It was certainly going to be harder with one trying to kill the other.

What he didn't understand was that was more literal than he knew.

Still he had a powerful caster on his side, he would try find a way to make sure she'd listen to him. She might be able to find a way to take the grail apart and maybe more.

0000

The two figures known as Alexander the Great and King Arthur sat outside on the porch of the Emiya residence. They both sat now wearing their modern clothing.

"Is your master using mine?" Saber asked.

"No, he truly wishes to protect people. The disaster from the end of the last war haunts him. He wonders if we had made it to the last round if it would have ended differently. There is no changing the past but he seeks to make sure it doesn't happen again."

They sat on the porch as a pair of tea cups sat besides them, they were brought over by Shirou who would never dare be a terrible host.

They were silent for a moment Saber not wanting to start an argument at the moment. As her time as a king she knew that sometimes it was better to avoid the argument, this was one of those cases as both people were entrenched in their ideas.

"You remember the last war?" Saber asked.

"I do. A few parts are a bit blurry but I do." He picked up the cup and sipped on the tea. "This is very good tea."

"Yes, Shirou does have a gift with preparing food." Saber took her own cup. She had full memory of the past so she could assume that his case was not the same as hers.

"Not sure how it happened. My master was just as confused. So, how do you recall the last war?"

"I have a special condition towards being a heroic spirit."

Iskander could tell he was not going to get anything else out of her.

"Your master truly only wishes to prevent the war into breaking out into disaster."

"Yes, he does."

"Tell me of this disaster that happened at the end of the last war."

"I suppose you wouldn't know about it, you wouldn't have been there when it happened. The cause if unknown but somehow the power in the grail spilled out. It spilled out onto the city and it killed roughly 500 people. My master explained it to me at the park that they made to memorial to those that died there. The area is tainted so badly that you can just sense the death. A massacre like that should not be allowed to happen."

Saber was silent once more, she feared that her last actions during the last war had something to do with it.

0000

Waver sat across from Shirou who had served him tea.

Waver had a bad history with the people of Japan in recent years but he couldn't doubt that Shirou was a good host. For a moment Waver wondered if Shirou had poisoned his drink especially after realizing he was the son of the magus killer.

Even after nearly being killed Shirou seem unfazed by anything. Waver couldn't help but wonder how much he was like his father.

Waver finally took drank some of his tea since Shirou was drinking from the same pot.

"So you want to have an alliance?" Shirou asked the older man.

"Yes, " Waver answered honestly. "We both want to prevent people from dying unnecessary, our goals match up so it only makes sense." He took another sip of his tea. "You might want to talk about this with your servant, I think she might have her own goals."

"Okay, I will talk to her. Are you sure you want me as an ally?" Shirou questioned the whole idea. "I'm not a very skilled magus, I can really only do, projection and reinforcement."

"What? Just basics?" Waver was more than a little surprised. "You are usually taught that early on."

"After my dad adopted me he didn't want to teach me magecraft. He finally did agreed but then he started to cough." Shirou paused. "He took a lot of trips and later he passed away. I think he was sick but kept it from me, it must made it hard for him to use magic since after a while he was around he never showed me any magic. Even so I could never really manage to use any other magic."

Waver wondered about it, had the magus killer gotten sick. He wouldn't lie even magus couldn't handle some of the worst diseases like cancer and it was possible that the Magus Killer had just gotten sick around the time of the end of the war. Waver didn't even know his goals, maybe he wanted to grail to cure something he already had. Still there were puppet bodies and other ways to escape death, something didn't make sense. Why would he adopt a child if he was sick?

"When did he adopt you?"

"Right after the fire."

"Fire?"

"Ten years ago there was a fire and it killed hundreds of people but my father pulled me out of the fire and saved my life."

Waver's eyes grew wide, this boy survived that fire. Out of hundreds of people one person survived and that person was sitting before him.

"What's your origin?" Waver asked him, he assumed it had to be fire and that origin helped him survive in some way.

"I don't know." Shirou admitted. "My dad never got around to checking."

"Can I do a small test? I promise you it won't hurt you."

Shirou nodded and Waver prepared to test Shirou.

It was a simple test, as Waver could tell he had about 27 circuits that couldn't hold that much, considering their number it was a little odd they were so weak. Waver could also tell there was something a little about his nerves. Then he found Shirou element and his origin.

"Sword." Waver gasped. "Your element and Origin are both sword." At that moment Waver should have left and informed someone but his mind blanked. If he looked into a bit more he might have found something even more dangerous but he didn't.

Waver stared at Shirou, he never heard about the sword being an element and he was potentially dangerous. Waver couldn't turn him in, he was a kid and naive if letting him see his origin and element so easily told him anything. Both his element and origin were the same and that could mean great potential with magic matching that. Maybe even father than magus who studied years could even try to reach. Many magus would be happy to experiment on him to try and figure it out. Waver feared that is Atlas found him they would do to him if they ever found out.

"Sword." Shirou let the word roll of his tongue as if to feel it out.

"Don't tell anyone that." Waver ordered him, was that why his father never said anything he was afraid his kid would might tell someone.

Waver should have done a lot of things there, there were probably a lot of safe choices but he didn't take any of them. There was a kid in front of him that wasn't anything like a magus, didn't want to kill or gain power. He just wanted to help people. Waver never let his students graduate unless they were ready for the world and just looking at Shirou he knew that he wasn't. Waver was sure if he left Shirou along he'd charge into this war and get himself killed even with a powerful servant.

Waver took an out a piece of paper and gave it to Shirou, "Here's my cell phone number. If you decided to join me just call. I think I can help you develop your magic, you might never be able to get out of apprentice level but I might be able to help you hold your own in this war and not get yourself killed."

A moment later Waver left after h called Rider and they left.

As they were a fair distance away Rider asked, "Is something wrong?"

"That boy…."

"What about him? Did he try to kill you? It would be very bad luck to have two nearly kill you."

"Kids are fighting in this war, like I did, I shouldn't have been in the last war and they shouldn't be in this one."

"It is human to want to protect the young and inexperienced."

"It's more than that…. Shirou … if any other magus had asked to check out his origin he would have said yes and would have been killed. He's naive and potentially dangerous but I don't think any more dangerous to anyone than himself."

"Okay, you've got my interest. What do you mean?"

"He survived the fire, the one I told you about his father dragged him out of it saving him. If he was in that fire even for a minute he had to see death and carnage and bodies burning….But the way he talked about it… it was detached."

"I've met soldiers before who saw horrors in war and had to detach themselves from those events just to stay whole."

"Yeah, I've met magus who've come back from hunts were they watched friends get slathered too. No, this is different. Something about him is off."

"You want to help him? You want to save him even in the middle of a war?" Rider glanced at his master.

"I know its stupid, we should be focusing on the big picture and stopping the war somehow."

"No, it's a near impossible goal to try and save everyone. It's true that if you try to save everyone you might lose some of them but the fact that you want to try speaks a lot about you."

"So you have no problem in trying to help him?"

"He shares our goal and I think we can help him while he helps us. When starting an army you might not always start with the best men but a good leader doesn't give up on them. A leader teaches them to be strong and how to carry on. You don't know this boy might end up being the very key to turning the war in the end."

"What about Saber?"

"I don't think she will argue too much about any goals that require saving people. Though I doubt she herself has given up on the grail."

"Do you think there is something else about her?"

"She remembers the last war too."

"Something about this whole war is wrong?"

Waver and Rider walked a bit more before Rider called out his chariot not knowing they were being watched.

A short distance away the Rider known as Medusa watched them leave.

What she didn't know was that the Lancer with silver haired watched them.

0000

Blood spilled onto the street, moments ago the street was filled with screams and shouts of desperate people trying to survive.

In the end not a single one of them managed to.

Everyone in that street were killed, people in the house and the people who ran trying to escape their attackers.

The blood spilled on the cold black roads and gray sideways.

It was so quiet one could hear the faint sound of blood dripping down.

Around the city there were other deaths but to keep the peace the police would try to keep them quiet but this one they would not be able to.

So their whole trying to keep civilians safe wasn't working out.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Notes: Sorry for the delay this month has been a busy one for me. Anyway, what do you guys think so far? It feels like a slow burn for me. Anyway, next chapter I do plan to have a fight between Rin and Archer and another master servant master pair. So I think most of you figured out Kiritsugu was the third archer. Anyone have any guesses on the servants that I haven't named yet? Anyway, what are you guys looking forwards most meeting wise? Kiritsugu meeting his kids again? Flat and Waver? Iskander and Gilgamesh? Saber and Mordred? Anyway, I hope you like and that I will have the next update soon.<strong>


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